MOSCOW, September 15 (Itar-Tass) —— The main problem of the Russian opposition is the lack of bright leaders and consolidating ideas, one of the leaders of the ruling United Russia party, Alexei Chesnakov, said.

“Today’s event exposed all the main problems of the current opposition on a full scale: the absence of bright leaders, consolidating ideas and sense in its activities,” he said on Saturday, September 15, commenting on the opposition protest rally in Moscow.

He believes that the rally failed. Its start showed that its “organisers did not come even close to achieving the declared goal”.

“Instead of the declared 25,000 participants, almost five times fewer people came,” he added.

Chesnakov believes that “the organisers could not offer any substantive action and everything turned into another farce without content or meaning”.

Even those who were ready several weeks ago to come to the rally found themselves in a situation where they did not understand why they should do so, he noted.

The secretary of the party’s General Council, Duma deputy speaker Sergei Neverov, believes that people have made their choice in favour of elections rather than street protests after Saturday’s opposition rally.

“People do not believe the opposition,” he said, referring to the small number of people attending the protest rally as proof.

“Even those who attended events in Bolotnaya Square six months ago are disappointed today, and those who came saw the same mottos and calls leading nowhere,” Neverov said.

“Those who want to work, rather than shout from the podium, who want to achieve concrete results rather than show up on television screens, go to the polls, not to protest marches,” he said.

Neverov said that elections would take place in 77 regions on October 14. Twenty-six political parties have nominated their candidates. “People have a broad choice and they have already made it in favour of polling stations rather than the street,” he said.