CONSERVATIVE LOURDES FLORES GAINED GROUND ON FORMER PRESIDENT ALAN GARCIA FOR A SPOT IN PERU'S PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF, BUT THE LEFT-LEANING GARCIA STILL HELD HIS RAZOR-THIN LEAD, ELECTION RESULTS SHOWED ON WEDNESDAY, REUTERS REPORTED. WITH 91.6 PERCENT OF VOTES TALLIED FROM THE APRIL 9 ELECTION, NATIONALIST OLLANTA HUMALA -- WHO HAS SAID HE WILL IMPOSE GREATER STATE CONTROL OVER THE ECONOMY -- WAS FIRST WITH 30.77 PERCENT AND ASSURED A PLACE IN A LATE MAY OR EARLY JUNE RUNOFF BETWEEN THE TOP TWO FINISHERS. GARCIA, WHOSE 1985-90 PRESIDENCY ENDED IN HYPERINFLATION AND SURGING VIOLENCE BY LEFTIST SHINING PATH REBELS, WAS SECOND WITH 24.3 PERCENT. FLORES, A FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN BIDDING TO BE PERU'S FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT AND FAVORED BY INVESTORS, TRAILED NARROWLY IN THIRD WITH 23.71 PERCENT. BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES HAD FALLEN TO 67,449 VOTES, COMPARED TO 95,619 ON SUNDAY AS FLORES PICKED UP SUPPORT FROM EXPATRIATE VOTERS, OFFICIALS SAID. ELECTION AUTHORITIES SAID THEY HOPED TO FINISH COUNTING THE ROUGHLY 200,000 BALLOTS CAST BY PERUVIANS LIVING ABROAD BY THURSDAY. BUT OFFICIALS SAID A FINAL TALLY WOULD NOT BE RELEASED UNTIL THE END OF APRIL AFTER THEY ALSO COUNTED SOME 1.4 MILLION BALLOTS THAT WERE MARRED, DIFFICULT TO READ OR CONTESTED BY ONE OF THE PARTIES. FLORES AIDES SAID THEY HOPED THE EXPATRIATE VOTE WOULD CONTINUE TO HELP CLOSE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HER AND GARCIA. "ONE WOULD HAVE TO BE A MAGICIAN TO KNOW HOW THIS WILL END," SAID FERNANDO SANDOVAL, A FLORES CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL. PRE-ELECTION POLLS SHOWED HUMALA WOULD FACE A TIGHT RUNOFF RACE AGAINST GARCIA. IF HUMALA WERE TO FACE FLORES, THE POLLS SUGGESTED SHE WOULD WIN. -
