| Intro | Malawian lawyer and former Attorney General |
| A.K.A. | Jane Mayemu Ansah |
| Is | Judge |
| From | Malawi |
| Type | Law |
| Gender | female |
| Birth | 1955 |
| Age: | 65 years |
Justice Jane Mayemu Ansah, S.C. (born 11 October 1955) is the current chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission. She is a former Malawian Supreme Court Judge and was the first female Attorney General in Malawi. She is most known for her role as the head of the Malawi’s Electoral Commission during the 2019 elections. Her role in this position sparked national protests both in support and in opposition to her role due to election irregularities. Protestors called for her to resign.
Work
She served as a High Court judge in December 1998. She then served as Attorney General of Malawi from 2006 to 2011. She was appointed as the Supreme Court of Appeals judge in 2011. She was appointed to Chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission in October of 2016 succeeding Justice Maxon Mbendera.
2019 Malawi elections
She was accused of mismanaging the 2019 Malawian general election which led to the Jane Ansah Must Fall campaign in which nation-wide anti-Jane Ansah protests calling for her resignation occurred in June and July 2019. A group of women (pro-Jane Ansah camp), led by Seodi White and Minister of Gender Mary Navicha argued that Ansah was a victim of sexism and gender discrimination. They staged a counter protests that were in solidarity of Jane Ansah and her role in the elections. Thousands of women marched in defense of her role in the elections, many wearing shirts written “I am Jane Ansah”.