By Safaa Kasraoui
Rabat – New Head of Moroccan Government, Saad Eddine Othmani, has appointed 13 Secretaries of State, among them eight women, to serve in the government.
Each of the designated Secretaries of State is under the authority of a minister. But what differentiates a Minister’s responsibilities from those of a Secretary of State?
The primary function of a secretary of state is to assist his or her Minister as intermediary support. Typically, secretaries of state have fewer responsibilities than ministers and they have no authority to take action without the minister’s approval.
The mission of a secretary of state is limited to supporting his or her minister, without any real responsibility of their own, said Mohamed Amrani, a professor of political science at Abdelmalek Essadi University of Tetouan.
The law that governs the foundation of a government stipulates that a minister may delegate to his or her secretary of state some of his or her power. This power, however, remains subject to the agreement of the head of the government, who must validate the decree of delegation.
Concerning protocol, the secretaries of state are at the bottom of the hierarchy, after the delegated ministers. A secretary of state’s cabinet may not have more than two technical advisers, while a minister can call on a staff of six experts.
A secretary of state’s monthly compensation is fixed at MAD 50,000, while a minister’s monthly remuneration is MAD 60,000.
