2004年10月18日，白俄罗斯全民公决结果揭晓，总统亚历山大·卢卡申科可能继续留在他已经坐了10年的总统宝座上。但是，这一结果并不为西方国家所乐见，美国于18日发表声明，谴责白俄罗斯的选举是“不公”的，并没有使选民真正得到表达意愿和自由选择的机会。
新华社报道如下：
The United States on Monday criticized the Belarus elections for so-called "electoral misconduct", saying "It does not look like the voters of Belarus were given a fair choice or a fair chance to express their choice."
"The election was seriously flawed, didn't meet standards," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a regular news briefing.
"We deeply reGREt that the Belorussian people were kept from freely and fairly expressing their will," Boucher said.
Misconduct表示“不正当的行为”，在此反映了对选举公正性的质疑。此外，misconduct还有“处置失当；管理不善；行为轻佻、不检点”等意思。例如：She sued for divorce on the grounds of her husbands alleged with his secretary.（她以其夫与秘书有染为由提起离婚诉讼。）
