Amman - The Jordanian cabinet on Tuesday endorsed for the first time financial help to the country's fledging political parties as part of the drive to upgrade the political life in the Hashemite Kingdom.

The decision provides for paying 50,000 dinars (70,000 dollars) annually to each of the country's 16 political parties, including the country's largest and only organized political party according to Western standards, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), according to the Interior Minister Eid al-Fayez.

However, al-Fayez stipulated that any political party "should abide by the law" so that it would be entitled to receive the financial assistance.

The number of political parties in Jordan was 33 at the outset of 2007, but a new law has trimmed the number to 16, including eight opposition parties led by the IAF, the political arm of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement.

The new legislation raised the number of the party's founding members to 500 instead of 50 in the previous law. (dpa)