Each initiative group for nomination of presidential candidates until August 21 to collect and submit to the Election Commissions at least 100 thousand signatures. According to the calendar plan arrangements for the preparation and holding of presidential elections in the Republic of Belarus, the stage of collecting signatures began on July 23 and the first day in Vitebsk held a number of pickets to collect signatures.

From the opposition's his first picket in Vitebsk put representatives of the party "Fair World" to collect signatures in support of his party leader Sergei Kalyakin, and supporters Tatyana Karatkevich, the candidate of the coalition "People's referendum". But the most active were the members of the initiative group of Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Agitate for Lukashenko representatives of republican public association "Belaya Rus" and the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, and the official trade unions. Their pickets were seen in various places in the city: Bileva district, near the Town Hall, at the Liberty Square, at the entrance to the bank "Moscow-Minsk", next to the "Marko City". Activists of the pro-governmental structures, collect signatures, they say they are satisfied with the way people subscribe for the incumbent head of state.

For Tatiana Karatkevich there were collected signatures at the "Blue House", the coordinator of staff of the potential presidential candidate Lydia Sagidulina. According to her, they have gathered a good team that is ready to work actively, and expressed the hope that they will be able to collect at least 25 thousand signatures in the Vitebsk region.

Near the "Blue House" collected signatures and activists of the party "Fair World". Another picket "Fair World" was put on Smolenskaya Square. Together with his colleagues collected signatures and head of the regional party organization Nikolay Selivashko, who shared his impressions from the beginning of the collection of signatures:

"Today we started in Vitebsk to collect signatures for our candidate Sergei Kalyakin two exposed us pickets. I also decided to observe the process at the picket of the front of the amphitheater, where the "Slavic Bazaar". The location is not random, very crowded. First observation: people come to be interested in, ask questions, some have a signature, but, of course, not everyone has a passport and so few have the opportunity to personally sign the signature sheet. Therefore for forty minutes just collected a dozen signatures. Some, however, promise to come later, with the passport. By and large, we understand that the main task of the pickets - not a collection of signatures, and the heating of the electorate, awakening from their lethargy of indifference to the political process, part of which are the choices."

Vitebsk Spring