The Federal Registration Service said in its lawsuit that the number of party members and local branches had fallen short of legal requirements that came into effect January 1. Under the requirements, parties that fail to comply must either be transformed into public movements or closed down.
"Given that RPM has not made a choice, we had to go to court," the service said.
The new amendments to the law on political parties set the minimum number of party members at 50,000 and stipulate that a party must open branches in most of the 86 constituent members of the Russian Federation, involving at least 500 members.
RPM, registered in 2002 by pop singer, parliamentarian and businessman Iosif Kobzon, has only 45,302 members and 35 regional branches. The party's rotating leaders also included Ruslan Aushev, the first president of the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia.
On March 23, the Supreme Court ruled to close down the right-wing Republican Party of Russia on similar grounds.
The Republican Party, which was set up on the basis of the Democratic Platform of the U.S.S.R. Communist Party in 1990 and strongly opposed the Kremlin's military campaign in Chechnya in the 1990s, said it would appeal against the ruling with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and the Constitutional Court of Russia.
A representative of the Federal Registration Service, Galina Fokina, said the court would consider motions to shut down another five political parties within a month.
Russia's election legislation has been subject to other amendments since the last election, which have been vehemently criticized by rights groups.
Lawmakers have abolished the 20% threshold for voter turnout, and canceled early voting and the "against all candidates" option on election ballots at all levels. The Kremlin has said these changes are needed to safeguard the development of Russian democracy from irresponsible marginal parties.
The threshold for parties seeking seats in the State Duma has also been increased from 5% to 7% in a move "to encourage parties to work harder and unite," as the former top election official, Alexander Veshnyakov, put it.
Russia's major parties, that managed to pass the 5% barrier required to enter the State Duma in December 2003, presently include the ruling pro-Kremlin party United Russia, the nationalist Rodina (Motherland), the Communists and the ultra-nationalist LDPR.
Two right-wing parties - the Union of Right Forces (SPS) and Yabloko - failed to make it into parliament and have since been in talks to run for parliament as a single bloc, without reaching any agreement so far.
Irina Khakamada, a right-wing leader, and Russia's former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, a Yeltsin-backed figure, formed the People's Democratic Union movement in April. The organization was denied registration in October for failing to meet legal requirements. The movement described the decision as politically motivated.
Chess-champion-turned-politician Garry Kasparov formed the liberal United Civil Front movement in June but it has not been registered either for failing to comply with new membership standards.
In view of the fresh elections, the Party of Life, the Party of Pensioners and Rodina merged in October into the Just Russia party, which describes itself as a new leftist political force. Experts dismiss the party as another Kremlin project designed to poach votes from left-wing political forces.
