Russia's upper house of parliament passed on Wednesday a bill which would simplify the procedure for registering political parties.
The Federation Council voted 124-to-six to pass the bill.
The passage sends it to outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev who announced a far-reaching reform plan in his final state-of-the-nation speech in December, in an apparent bid to appease anti-government protesters who took to the streets after a diputed parliamentary election earlier that month.
The measure reduces the membership requirement for registering a party to 500 people from 45,000 currently.
It would also abolish the requirement for parties to collect voter signatures in order to take part in elections.
An ecological activist said on Tuesday Medvedev, who steps down after four years in the Kremlin in May, will sign the legislation during a meeting with leaders of unregistered parties next week.
