By ERWIN CHLANDA
The CLP has conceded defeat in the Territory election but the results in Araluen, Braitling and Namatjira are unlikely to be clear before the middle of next week.
Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro released a statement at 4.23pm: “I called Michael Gunner a short time ago to congratulate him and the Labor Party on winning the election, and urged him to move immediately to take real action on the economy.
“The rhetoric from the Gunner Government about ‘saving jobs and savings lives’ needs to stop and tangible action must be taken without delay.
“Many thousands of Territorians voted for the CLP and we will fight hard every day to hold the Gunner Government to account.”
The delay in the three extremely close Alice Springs seats are caused by around 300 yet to be counted postal votes in each seat.
Two parties preferred results are 20 in Araluen, with Robyn Lambley (Territory Alliance) ahead of Damien Ryan (CLP); 103 in Braitling (the CLP’s Joshua Burgoyne ahead of Dale Wakefield) and in Namatjira, where the lead has see-sawed today, with Sheralee Taylor (ALP) 20 ahead of Bill Yan.
Postal votes must be received by the Electoral Commission by 12 noon on September 4.
Photo: Campaign workers at COVID distance at the Sadadeen polling place.