The government of the United States has congratulated Ghanaians for peacefully taking part in Wednesday’s general elections.

In a statement, the US Embassy in Accra said: “We congratulate the people of Ghana for their participation in yesterday’s peaceful and orderly presidential and parliamentary elections.”

“We encourage all parties to support the Electoral Commission as it concludes the critical work of tabulating votes, and to wait patiently and peacefully for the official results.

“The United States looks forward to continuing our close relationship with whichever candidate emerges as the victor.”

The Electoral Commission of Ghana is yet to declare any certified results close to 24 hours after the polls but the two leading parties: governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) have both claimed victory.