Experts legitimise tally sheets Venezuela Oppn provided, shows Maduro lost

An independent group of election experts that observed Venezuela's July presidential election on Wednesday legitimised the vote tally sheets the opposition has offered as proof of President Nicolas Maduro's defeat, telling the Organization of American States the electronic balloting system worked and the ruling party as well as other stakeholders "know the truth".

The assertions from an expert with the US-based Carter Center came during a session convened by members of the regional body to address the dispute that emerged from Venezuela's presidential election.

The group was one of the two independent panels that the government invited to observe the vote on July 28, which electoral authorities claimed -- without offering any proof -- favoured Maduro.

The dispute has centred on thousands of tally sheets known as actas -- printouts that resemble shopping receipts -- that have long been considered the ultimate proof of election results in Venezuela.

Each of the 30,000 electronic voti