The elections "have, so far, been conducted in an open, transparent and competitive environment," the team of observers from the European Union said Tuesday.

EU chief election observer Nickolay Mladenov said Ghana has consolidated its democracy for more than a decade and "the December 7 election reflects that democratic culture."

The head of British Commonwealth observers, Valerie Amos, said the "intensely contested" elections were conducted in a "peaceful and orderly way."

The US-based poll-watchers, the Carter Center, said overall it had found that Sunday's elections "were competitive and characterized by high levels of transparency and openness, further reinforcing Ghana's democratic tradition."

"Ghana is becoming a model democracy in the region and abroad," said the former president of Botswana Ketumile Masire, who is heading the Carter team.

The Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) called the poll "excellent."

A team of 4,000 local observers were also deployed by the non-partisan Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), which includes religious, civil society and business groups.