Update: The Malawi Government has officially denied reports that President Arthur Peter Mutharika pressured First Vice President Jane Mayemu Ansah to resign. In a press statement issued on Saturday, the Office of the President and Cabinet dismissed the circulating claims as false, baseless and deliberately misleading, according to Malawi Cables. Chief Secretary Justin Adack Saidi clarified that recent budget adjustments and the reassignment of certain functions within the Vice President's office are part of a wider Public Sector Reform Agenda and standard austerity measures, rather than an attempt to sideline Ansah, AfricaBrief reports.
The government rebuttal addresses previous coverage of the dispute, which saw opposition parties accusing the administration of intentionally undermining the Vice President. In separate statements, UTM Secretary General Willet Karonga and UDF Secretary General Genarino Lemani warned of a systematic degradation of Ansah's office, pointing to alleged underfunding and the withdrawal of security personnel, according to AfricaBrief. However, the Office of the President and Cabinet stated that no formal presidential directive for Ansah to step down exists and that she continues to perform her constitutional duties and participate in Cabinet meetings.
Meanwhile, in other executive matters, President Mutharika has raised alarms over regional security issues. According to Nyasa Times, Mutharika recently warned that ongoing conflicts within the Southern African Development Community pose a direct threat to regional stability and economic progress.