The International Republican Institute praised Honduran voters for a "credible and peaceful" presidential election, especially in the intense political crisis facing the Central American nation.

"With preliminary results indicating a turnout that paralleled, if not exceeded, the 2005 elections, IRI observers witnessed an election free of violence and overt act of intimidation," the institute said Monday in a report on its observer mission.

The team -- led by former Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor David J. Kramer -- also praised poll workers, "who were well-prepared, enthusiastic and professional in carrying out their duties."

Sunday's election came in the midst of international criticism of Honduras for removing leftist President Manuel Zelaya, even though the Supreme Court and Congress authorized his ouster on charges of violating the constitution.

The IRI team included: Carlos Hernandez Ferreiro, a Spanish analyst with the European Partnership for Democracy; Ignacio Cosido Gutierrez, a member of the Spanish Chamber of Deputies; Barry Jackson, a former assistant to President George W. Bush; Maria Martens, a former Dutch member of the European Parliament; Ivideliza Reyes Hernandez, a member of the Mexican Congress; Michal Safianik of Poland, deputy executive director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Community of Democracies; and Rafael Yamashiro, a member of the Peruvian Congress.