First Vice-President Jane Ansah appears increasingly accustomed to operating in what many of her predecessors have described as a political purgatory -- a space where the office carries constitutional weight but little practical authority.
Despite continuing to attend Cabinet meetings and perform her formal duties, Ansah has been stripped of her portfolios in Disaster Management and Public Service Reforms, with President Peter Mutharika frequently opting to delegate responsibilities to Cabinet ministers rather than to either of his deputies.
The Constitution is clear on presidential discretion. Section 89(6) states that the powers of the President may be exercised personally or delegated in writing to a Cabinet minister or government official.
In practice, this has often left vice-presidents sidelined, a pattern that has persisted across successive administrations.
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Former vice-president Cassim Chilumpha, speaking recently in the local press, described the role as a "poison chalice", recalling the intense political pressure he faced while serving under Bingu wa Mutharika between 2004 and 2009.
"I did not enjoy the position," he said. "It was hell." Chilumpha was at one point charged with treason -- allegations he has long maintained were politically motivated.
Ansah, a retired Justice of Appeal, was chosen as Peter Mutharika's running mate in the September 16 election, with the pair securing 56.7 per cent of the vote. Yet speculation has swirled around her standing within the administration.
Reports suggesting that the President had asked her to resign were dismissed by Chief Secretary Justin Saidi, who said there had been "no such written communication".
The turbulence surrounding the vice-presidency is far from new. Khumbo Kachali, who served under Joyce Banda from 2012 to 2014, has previously remarked that the officeholder is often reduced to a figurehead while real power remains firmly in the hands of the President.
Banda herself dropped Kachali as her running mate ahead of the 2014 election.
Calls for reform have been longstanding. At a UTM Party launch in 2018, then vice-president Saulos Chilima pledged to amend the Constitution to clearly define the functions of the office, arguing that no deputy should endure the marginalisation he and others had faced.
Former president Lazarus Chakwera echoed similar concerns in 2020, lamenting that vice-presidents had been "mistreated, underutilised and slandered" for more than two decades -- though his own relationship with Chilima later deteriorated.
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The pattern stretches back to the early years of multiparty democracy. Justin Malewezi resigned in 2003 after falling out with President Bakili Muluzi, while Joyce Banda -- despite being constitutionally next in line -- was nearly blocked from assuming the presidency following Bingu wa Mutharika's death in 2012, having been expelled from the DPP alongside Kachali.
Ironically, once in office, Banda appointed Kachali as her deputy, only for the pair to later part ways.
Against this backdrop, Ansah's current predicament fits a familiar narrative: Malawi's vice-presidents often occupy an office defined more by constitutional symbolism than by political influence.
