One of the leaders of the United Russia party has argued that Russia's opposition has dwindling public support and that Saturday's March of Millions protests in Moscow proved this.
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"It is a crisis of the genre. For their year of existence, the White Ribbons have been unable to put forward a constructive program and remain an aggregation of very diverse forces," a United Russia statement quoted Andrei Isayev, deputy secretary of the party's General Council and a State Duma deputy, as saying.
White ribbons are a symbol of Russia's opposition.
Left Front party leader Sergei Udaltsov and one of the leaders of the Solidarnost (Solidarity) coalition, Boris Nemtsov, represent directly opposite views, Isayev claimed. This means that "the population will stop supporting rallies."
"It is a negative association, all that brings them together is hatred for the current system, in which they are unable to find a place for themselves. This will not lead to any feelings that would produce lasting unity because fewer and fewer people are willing to join movements of this kind," Isayev said.