First Vice-President Jane Ansah of Malawi has urged for significant reforms in the country's political landscape to create a level playing field for women seeking leadership positions. In her keynote address at the inaugural High-Level Annual Conference on Gender and Elections in Africa, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ansah emphasized that women's participation as voters has not translated into proportional representation among candidates and elected leaders. She noted that barriers often arise long before election day, hindering women's ability to compete fairly.
Ansah, a retired Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal judge and former chairperson of the Malawi Electoral Commission, stressed that political parties must be central to the reform agenda. She advocated for transparent candidate-selection processes, fair access to winnable constituencies and campaign resources for women, and increased representation in party leadership. According to Ansah, these changes are crucial for addressing the existing disparities and ensuring that women have an equal opportunity to participate in politics.
The First Vice-President also called for a review of political financing arrangements to level the playing field for women seeking elective office. She highlighted that violence against women in politics, including intimidation, harassment, threats, and online abuse, undermines both women's participation and electoral integrity. Ansah urged electoral management bodies to incorporate political violence into their risk monitoring and complaints systems and law enforcement agencies and courts to respond promptly to reported violations.
Ansah emphasized the need for stronger regional cooperation, including the sharing of electoral data and experiences on candidate selection, as well as coordinated responses to technology-facilitated abuse. She stated that governments, political parties, and electoral management bodies should establish clear responsibilities, allocate resources, and set timelines for implementing reforms. According to Ansah, the goal is not simply to open the door to women but to change the rules, resources, and institutions that determine who enters, wins, and exercises power.
In Malawi, women remain underrepresented in political institutions despite years of advocacy for gender equality. Currently, women occupy 47 of the 227 seats in the National Assembly, representing 20.7 percent of legislators. Additionally, women accounted for 21.9 percent of parliamentary candidates in the September 16, 2025 General Election, down from 22.2 percent in 2019. The European Union Election Observation Mission's final report noted that although 48 women were initially elected in 2025, their share of parliamentary seats remained below the 22.9 percent recorded after the 2019 election.
The underrepresentation of women in politics is not limited to the National Assembly. Women account for seven of the 28 Cabinet members, while a government report submitted to the United Nations put their representation among local government councillors at 14.6 percent of 462 councillors. To address this issue, the NGO-Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) is proposing 28 additional parliamentary seats reserved for women, with one allocated to each district alongside existing constituency seats.
The two-day conference, organized by the Women's Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE Africa), the African Women's Development and Communications Network (FEMNET), and partners, brought together 100 leaders from across Africa to develop strategies for increasing women's participation in elections and political leadership. Ansah's call for reforms has been echoed by other stakeholders, who emphasize that greater representation of women in political leadership is achievable, citing examples of progress such as former President Joyce Banda and other African women leaders.
Key points
- First Vice-President Jane Ansah calls for reforms in political parties, campaign financing, and electoral institutions to increase women's participation in politics.
- Women remain underrepresented in Malawi's political institutions, occupying only 20.7 percent of legislative seats.
- The proposed reforms aim to address the existing disparities and ensure that women have an equal opportunity to participate in politics.
