Hewlett Camp: HP Pro-Merger Vote Margin Near 0.5 Percent

"The margin is less than half a percent," said the source in the camp of Walter Hewlett, the dissident board member who spearheaded opposition to plans for the largest merger in computer industry history and has not conceded defeat after the Tuesday morning shareholder vote.

HP Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, her future on the line along with the merger, earlier said that management had a "slim but sufficient" margin to declare a preliminary victory, which must be officially certified, a process which may take weeks.

The Walter Hewlett source said that the 0.5 percent margin calculation was made after polls closed in the vote this morning.

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