I've covered a lot of elections over the years.
I've watched prime ministers and presidents show up at polling stations, cast their votes, and then chat with reporters.
But I've never witnessed anything quite like what happened at Polling Station 478 in Minsk.
Alexander Lukashenko, the long-time leader of Belarus, often called "Europe's last dictator," came to cast his vote. Then, while people were still voting, candidate Lukashenko held a four-and-a-half-hour press conference live on state TV.
It was a chance to ask him about the controversial election, which his critics have labeled "a sham."
"What tricky question have you got for me this time?" he asked. "Just like you always do."
"Good morning," I replied.
"Good morning, Steve."
"How can you call this a democratic election when your main rivals are either in prison or in exile?" I asked.
"Some are in prison, and some are in exile. But you are here!" Lukashenko replied with a smile.
"Everyone has the right to choose. That is democracy. Some
"Ignorance of the law does not absolve you of responsibility before it." Although prominent opposition figures weren't allowed to run, Alexander Lukashenko wasn't the only name on the ballot. There were four other candidates, but they seemed more like extras than real contenders.
"We talked to some of the other candidates," I mentioned to Lukashenko. "One of them, the Communist Party leader, openly supports you. Another praises you a lot. It's a peculiar election, isn't it, with opponents like these..."
"Steve, this is a whole new experience for you!" he replied, causing laughter and applause from the local journalists in the room.
"That's true," I admitted. "I haven't seen an election like this before."
"The Communists' policy, based on justice, is the same policy we're promoting," Lukashenko explained. "So why would they vote against me?"
The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, has described this presidential election in Belarus as a "blatant affront to democracy."
Not that Alexander Lukashenko seems to mind.
"I swear to you," he told me, "I couldn't care less whether you recognize our election or not. The most important thing for me is that the people of Belarus recognize it."