A 37-Year-Old Opposition Candidate Challenges The Longtime Leader Of Belarus

In Belarus, a 37-year-old political novice is giving Europe's longest-serving leader a run for his money.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya is challenging Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, 65, in an unexpectedly contentious election set for Aug. 9.

An English translator and mother of two, Tikhanovskaya decided to run after her husband, a popular blogger, was jailed in May.

"I don't need power, but my husband is behind bars," Tikhanovskaya told a giant campaign rally in the capital Minsk on Thursday. "I've had to hide my children. I'm tired of putting up with it. I'm tired of being silent. I'm tired of being afraid."

A huge crowd of supporters filled a city park, waving the flashlights on their cellphones as darkness fell. Tikhanovskaya has been attracting crowds in towns across Belarus ever since she united with the campaigns of two other opposition candidates, one of whom is in pre-trial detention, the other who has fled to Russia for his safety.