Ho, Jan 21, GNA - The Ho Christian Women Intercessors' Fellowship on Wednesday hailed all stakeholders in the 2008 December general elections for their roles that sold Ghana to the rest of the world as a politically matured country.

A statement signed by Reverend Mrs Dinah Abbey-Mensah, Fellowship Leader, said the political parties and candidates, the umpires and the media deserved commendation for seeing the country through the ultra competitive elections. The statement congratulated President John Atta Mills and expressed the hope that promises that he and his party made to the people, including raising the numbers of women in governance, would be fulfilled.

It praised Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for accepting defeat after a "very tough and difficult battle". The statement also commended the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) and the media for their good work. The Fellowship expressed gratitude to God for answering its prayer for a peaceful election and pledged to live up to its vow of "interceding fervently for our dear nation on regular basis". "We pray and plead with all Ghanaians especially the politicians to forgive and forget all the painful and unfortunate past events especially during the campaign period which keep coming into the public domain. Let us bury them forever," the statement said.