Plans of Elton John and partner David Furnish to wed in a St. Petersburg palace in December 2005 have sparked protests in the Russian parliament, media in Moscow reported December 2, 2005.

At a ceremony thought to be set for December 21, 2005, the day civil partnerships between gay couples become legal in Britain, Elton will formalise his 12-year relationship with David.

In a letter of protest forwarded to the Kremlin and the Culture Ministry, Nikolai Kuryanovich of the Duma's nationalist LDPR faction demanded steps "to prevent the defilement of the Konstantin Palace or any other important architectural memorials in Russia".

But a spokeswoman for the baroque palace outside the northern city dismissed reports of the service as a "bad joke". Control of the premises by the Kremlin administration precluded such events, she said.

Same-sex marriage is not legal in Russia, but there is no law specifically banning it.

In February 2005 the country's supreme court rejected a plea by a gay politician and his journalist partner seeking amendments to the Family Code to allow same-sex marriages.

Homosexuality was illegal under the old Soviet regime but was decriminalized in 1993.

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