A Russian court on August 22 upheld a decision not to register a political party critical of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
The new opposition People's Freedom Party (Parnas) was formed last year by a coalition of politicians -- including a former deputy prime minister, Boris Nemtsov, and a former prime minister, Mikhail Kasyanov.
The Justice Ministry denied it registration in late June, however, for reasons that the party declared "made-up and untrue."
Parnas Secretary Konstantin Merzlikin said that "the next step is the Moscow city court."
By law, a party has to be officially registered in order to run in elections, and the refusal would prevent Parnas from fielding candidates in parliamentary elections in December and crucial presidential polls in March.
compiled from agency reports