The vote on whether to move forward with the merger took place on May 28 and is surrounded by controversy. Both sides claimed victory, and Central Pacific hinted its next move could be in court as it continues its to pursue CB Bancshares, parent of City Bank.

Vote-counting firm IVS Associates Inc. began the process of certifying the vote yesterday at its headquarters in Newark, Del. Representatives from CB Bancshares and Central Pacific observed the count.

"IVS and our people and their people are reviewing each vote," said Wayne Miyao, a spokesman for CB Bancshares.

"We don't see any significant change from the numbers already reported," added City Bank attorney Fred White.

The final vote results likely will determine the next step in Central Pacific's quest to take over its local competitor. Central Pacific has charged that the May vote on the $275 million offer did not meet a quorum, and therefore does not count.

CB Bancshares said the preliminary results showed it achieved quorum, with 50.3 percent of eligible shares being voted.

Central Pacific, however, has challenged CB Bancshares' definition of a quorum. The would-be buyer called for a boycott of the vote, in an attempt to deny a quorum and show that a majority of shareholders support its position.

CB Bancshares said the preliminary vote showed most voting shareholders were opposed to moving forward with the merger. But out of the total number of shareholders only 29.4 percent voted in favor of CB Bancshares. The rest either abstained (2.6 percent), voted in favor of Central Pacific (13.4 percent) or refrained from voting.