Reuters: Wave Of Protests Under "Stop Cockroach!" Slogan Swept All Over Belarus

Belarusians come out to sign against Lukashenka with slippers in their hands.

Belarusians support the opposition ahead of elections. They come out to sign for candidates with slippers in their hands.

There was a long queue outside the covered food market in the capital of Belarus - Minsk - on Sunday, as people were waiting for several hours to put their signatures for the opposition candidates contesting the presidential elections in August. This is what Reuters reports.

Some people were carrying slippers - the symbol of the protest movement against Aliaksandr Lukashenka, comparing it with the character of the cockroach from the children's fairytale book, whom they want to squeeze. Such queues are becoming more and more usual throughout Belarus, while Lukashenka has faced the biggest political problem in recent years.

Public dissatisfaction with Lukashenka's handling of the Coronavirus pandemic, combined with dissatisfaction with the economy and human rights, increases the resistance to his rule even more.

In order to challenge him, 9 candidates need 100 thousand signatures of voters. The queue in Minsk stretched for about a kilometer to sign for several candidates.

The next presidential election will be held in Belarus on August 9th. Lukashenka is going to run for the seventh term.