DAMASCUS - The Syrian cabinet endorsed late Sunday the political multi-party bill as part of the government's reform program and in a bid to "enrich the political life, activate it, share responsibilities and alternate the possession of power," Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said Monday.

The endorsement came during a session chaired by Syrian Prime Minister Adel Safar.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has recently introduced a package of new measures that aim at easing up restraints on politics and economy, lifting the most controversial state of emergency that has been in place in the county for around 50 years, giving unprecedented freedom in different spheres, and granting general amnesty.

The Baath Party took over power in Syria following a 1963 coup that overthrew the military junta. Bashar succeeded his father, later president Hafez Assad who came to power in 1970, in 2000.

There are 11 pro-government political parties that are practically margined and tightly controlled by al-Baath ruling party.

The bill stipulates that the establishment of any party should not be based on religious, tribal, regional, denominational, or profession-related basis or on the basis of discrimination due to ethnicity, gender or race.

It added that a party's formation must be done on democratic basis.

In a statement carried by Sana, Minister of Information Adnan Mahmoud said the bill lays the legislative and legal foundations for political life and party pluralism, which are the basis of the democratic system.

The bill will revitalize political activity and expand proper participation in running the state by establishing a suitable environment for new parties for the purpose of alternating the possession of power and participating in the responsibilities of government, Mahmoud said.

The minister pointed out that the law was designed to be modern and similar to parties' laws around the world, adding the tens of thousands of citizens provided suggestions and opinions through the website, which helped enrich the bill.

The bill still needs the parliament's endorsement, which is scheduled to convene on August 7, before being enacted as a law in a presidential decree by al-Assad.