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Posted: 2024-09-05 03:22:50

ABC elections analyst Antony Green has called the Darwin seat of Nightcliff for the Greens, marking the party's first-ever victory in a seat at a Northern Territory election.

The count for the seat has gone down to the wire and a recount of preferences, with Mr Green making the definitive call on Thursday morning, nearly two weeks after election night.

The recount of preferences has put Greens candidate Kat McNamara currently 33 votes ahead of former Labor leader, and former chief minister, Natasha Fyles.

"A re-count has reduced the Greens lead to 33 votes but also removed any doubt that the Greens have won Nightcliff," Mr Green said.

The result is a sharp blow to Labor in the wake of its damning election defeat to the Country Liberal Party (CLP).

It means the party has now lost one of its safest seats, with a 20 per cent swing against it, and Ms Fyles, a local member once considered popular in her electorate – who was the most experienced Labor politician left standing – is now out of parliament.

Now, the CLP will hold 17 seats in parliament to Labor's four.

Mr Green previously placed Labor as likely to retain the seat, but said the preference count showed a significant portion of CLP preferences flowing to the Greens over Labor.

"It's clear that independent [candidate] Mililma May's preferences flowed very strongly to the Greens, and CLP preferences only flowed mildly to Labor," he told ABC Radio Darwin on Wednesday.

A woman with arm tattoos wearing a black t-shirt.

Kat McNamara will make history by becoming the first Greens politician elected in the NT. (Supplied)

Ms McNamara's win marks the first time in history the Greens have won a seat in the NT, across both territory and federal elections.

The party also gained ground in the neighbouring seat of Fannie Bay, and in Braitling in Alice Springs, in the recent election, outpolling Labor in both electorates but falling short to CLP candidates.

Nightcliff was the previous Labor government's safest seat ahead of the August election, when it was held on a 24 per cent margin.

Ms Fyles was first elected to the seat in 2012, and became chief minister in May 2022 after Michael Gunner's resignation.

A woman with dark short hair and a pink and orange patterned dress squints.

Natasha Fyles has lost her safe seat of Nightcliff after three terms in parliament. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)

She stepped down as leader in December last year after a series of integrity scandals.

Her defeat leaves Labor with no elected members in the territory's urban centres, after the party lost a total of 10 seats in an election wipe-out.

Labor has clung onto just four seats, all of which are in the bush and held by First Nations members.

The CLP will govern with an overwhelming majority of 17 seats, while there will also be three independents.

Parliament will return in October.

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