RABAT: Morocco's reformed constitution will hold officials accountable and shift some powers from King Mohammed to the government but he will keep his grip on security, the army and religion, according to a draft seen by Reuters. “The kingdom's constitutional system is based on the principle of separation of powers ... participative democracy and on the principles of good governance and linking responsibility to accountability,” said the draft, which was authenticated by a government official. After facing the biggest anti-establishment protests in decades, King Mohammed in March ordered a hand-picked committee to discuss with political parties, trade unions and NGOs a constitutional reform. The brief was to trim the 47-year-old monarch's clout and make the judiciary independent. The moves by King Mohammed, who heads the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty, are being closely monitored by Western nations and Gulf Arab monarchies, which have so far dodged calls at home for reforms and are anxious the Moroccan model may end up raising the bar of expectations too high in their countries. The king was to give a speech at 2100 (2000 GMT) Friday to outline the main highlights of the new constitution and fix a date for a referendum. The final draft of the reformed constitution explicitly grants the government executive powers, although the king would keep exclusive control over military and religious fields and pick a prime minister from the party that wins parliamentary elections. In another change, ministers, ambassadors and provincial governors, who are interior ministry representatives at regional level, would be proposed by the prime minister although the king would have to approve the choices.
