LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's presidential election tightened further in the latest tally of votes on Tuesday as former investment banker Pedro Pablo Kuczynski's lead over Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of an ex-president, narrowed to 0.28 of a percentage point.
With 97 percent of ballots processed two days after Sunday's election, Kuczynski won 50.14 percent of valid votes compared with Fujimori's 49.86 - a difference of about 47,000 votes, according to Peruvian electoral office ONPE.
Preliminary results on Sunday and quick counts of sample ballots by reputable polling firms had put Kuczynski ahead by about one percentage point.
Supporters of both candidates held peaceful vigils in front of the ONPE building late on Monday, holding candles and waving flags as they waited for new results.
Market reaction has been muted as both candidates have promised investor-friendly policies in the mineral-rich Andean nation.
Uncounted ballots, especially from the United States and Europe, could decide the outcome. A count of about a third of U.S. votes showed Kuczynski 18 points ahead of Fujimori, and a partial count of votes from Europe indicated a similarly wide lead for him.
A week ago, Fujimori, 41, had been the favorite to win Sunday's election. Kuczynski caught up with her in final opinion polls, however, as Peruvians weighed the legacy of her father, Alberto Fujimori, who was convicted of corruption and human rights abuse, and scandals involving her own close advisers.