The result of the Venezuelan referendum which confirmed President Hugo Chavez in office is to be audited by the authorities following allegations of fraud by opposition leaders.
Former US president, Mr Jimmy Carter, the who has been observing the poll, said such charges were unwarranted. However, a random check will be held later today in the presence of monitors.
Announcing the audit, Mr Carter told journalists that he and the Organization of American States had suggested the move to allay fears over the validity of the result.
Doubts were raised over the accuracy of the electronic voting machines used for the first time on Sunday.
Mr Carter said the electronic results of a sample of 150 machines would be checked against the paper record of each vote in the presence of international observers and witnesses from both the opposition and the government.
Mr Chavez, whose radical policies split opinion in the oil-rich Latin American state, won the poll with 58 per cent of the vote.
Opposition leaders say they have proof of irregularities but have yet to come up with concrete evidence.
Opposition leader Mr Henry Ramos Allup has dismissed the result as a "gross manipulation".