The Syrian cabinet endorsed late Tuesday the general elections bill as part of the government's reform program to tamp down more than four months of unrest that swept the country since mid-March.

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

The bill aims to regulate the election of parliament and local council members and to ensure the integrity of the electoral process. It also stipulates the formation of the Supreme Commission for Elections to manage the election process.

The move, announced by the official SANA news agency, came two days after the government endorsed a multi-party bill that would allow a political pluralism in the country under the rule of the Baath party for 40 years.

The bill still needs endorsing by the parliament which is scheduled to convene on Aug. 7, before being enacted as a law in a presidential decree, the report said.