The fourth successive democratic elections of Ghana since the end of military rule in 1992 concluded Tuesday as scheduled, after the voting was conducted in a generally peaceful manner amid hopes for robust economic development.

The voting started at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT) and closed at 5 p.m. (1700 GMT).

The counting of votes was in progress immediately after 5 p.m. at the polling stations where the votes were cast. Those in the queue at 5 p.m. would still be allowed to vote.

A total of 10.3 million people have registered to vote at 21,000 polling stations across the country. They were expected to elect 230 parliamentarians and the president.

About 950 parliamentary candidates, including 110 independent candidates, were contesting the 230 parliamentary seats.

President John Agyekum Kufuor from the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Evans Atta Mills from the National Democratic Convention (NDC), Edward Mahama from the Grand Coalition consisting of three parties and George Opesika Aggudey from the Convention People's Party were the four candidates for the presidency in Ghana, a haven of stability in turbulent west Africa.

The elections were well organized and Ghanaians voted briskly and peacefully, with no reports on serious election violence during the whole day, except minor ethnic tension that appeared in a northern town of Bawku in the morning but was calmed down hours later.

As political and economic stability had been restored since the end of military rule, the country was focusing on the fight against poverty.

Many registered voters for the 2004 general elections told media that they would vote for those who can bring about economic growth, or "more money in the pocket."

"Are we better-off or are we still hungry is the thing the people consider most before casting their votes," said Chairman of Ghana's Electoral Commission Kwadwo Afari-Gyah during an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Monday. "Unity is already there, and the problem is economic development."

Though with stable economic growth during the past few years, many Ghanaians are still very poor with 40 percent of the total population living under the UN poverty line, one US dollar per capita per day.

Source: Xinhua