2024 NT election: Lia Finocchiaro claims victory as Country Liberal ...

Scrutineers at NT voting centres have downed tools and stopped counting votes.

They're due to resume counting remaining votes, including postal votes, at 10am ACST tomorrow. 

As it stands, the Country Liberal Party appears to have won 15 seats, while Territory Labor has held onto 4. 

The CLP has won majority government.

Read a breakdown of the results here.

A low-key Italian club in Darwin’s northern suburbs has been transformed into a scene of jubilation tonight, with the NT's newly elected leader Lia Finocchiaro beckoning in a new era of “hope and opportunity”.

CLP faithful from across the eras, including former chief minister and party president Shane Stone, and former NT senator Nigel Scullion, were among those there to embrace the new leader and raise a drink to the success of a hard fought campaign.

Newly elected parliamentarians were also soaking in the moment, including former army officer Clinton Howe, who is set to become the newest member for Drysdale after defeating the former chief minister Eva Lawler.

Reporting by Matt Garrick

It's a bittersweet mood at the Greens camp in Alice Springs.

Braitling candidate Asta Hill has currently secured about 46.7 per cent of the vote, achieving a generous 30 per cent swing on first preference votes.

But Country Liberal Party incumbent Joshua Burgoyne is tipped to retain the seat. 

In a speech to supporters, Ms Hill acknowledged the "despair" many would be feeling over the CLP's election victory.

But she said tonight had showed a significant surge in support for her party.

"Since when is the two horse race between the f**king CLP and the Greens?" Ms Hill said.

"Yes, the Territory has lurched to the right, but it's also lurching so far to the left and that's part of our future as well."

Reporting by Charmayne Allison

Federal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's actions have played a role in tonight's NT election result.

"Off the back of the Voice, I think now that the Northern Territory has delivered a Country Liberal Party government, I think the Coalition, we can be quite confident going toward the next federal election," she told Sky News.

"We've certainly been listening to Australians and we'll know what to deliver for Australians going forward into the next election."

The federal Liberal Party's deputy leader Sussan Ley says Territory Labor's election loss "has ramifications for the prime minister".

"This result is an indictment on Eva Lawler, Natasha Fyles and Territory Labor, but it is also an indictment on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese," she says.

"He has left the territory behind."

Independent candidate Justine Davis is edging ahead in the race to win Johnston.

At 33 per cent of votes counted, she was ahead on the preference estimate with almost 58 per cent of votes.

Labor's Joel Bowden, who's hoping to retain the seat, trailed behind at 42 per cent.

The CLP's Gary Strachan tied with her for the primary count at 31 per cent each however preferences to flow from both him and the Greens would benefit Ms Davis.

The seat was previously held by Labor with a margin of 16 per cent.

  Country Liberal Party leader Lia Finocchiaro has hailed tonight's result as a "victory for hope and opportunity for every single Territorian".

"It is an absolute honour and a privilege to stand here before you as the first female Country Liberal Party chief minister of the Northern Territory," she says.

Ms Finocchiaro was greeted by crowds of cheering supporters as she entered the CLP's headquarters in Darwin.

Ms Finocchiaro's election campaign largely hinged on promises to reduce crime and turn around the NT's lagging economy.

"The heartbreak of watching friends and family and colleagues pack up and leave the territory because they cannot see a future here ends today," she says.

"The hard work on behalf of all Territorians begins tomorrow.

"Tomorrow I will meet with the police commissioner [and] chief executive of the [Department of] Chief Minister and Cabinet to outline the immediate work that must begin."

The CLP's Joshua Burgoyne appears to have retained his seat of Braitling in the face of competition from the Greens, while Bill Yan has held onto his seat of Namatjira.

The pair celebrated with supporters at the party's headquarters in Alice Springs. 

Our ABC photographer Xavier Martin shared these photos:

Speaking at Labor’s headquarters tonight, leader Eva Lawler has told her party faithful “we haven’t gotten over the line tonight”. 

“It looks like I’ve lost my seat and I know some of our great candidates and great members have also lost their seat as well,” she said.

“It has been an absolute privilege to be chief minister of the Northern Territory.

"It has also been a privilege to be a minister in the Northern Territory government for eight years.”

Ms Lawler described it as an “absolutely sad night” for Labor but thanked her party volunteers and members.

The CLP is on track to win Blain, a key seat in Palmerston.

At 30 per cent of ballots counted, CLP candidate Matthew Kerle was ahead with 48 per cent of primary votes.

It marks a loss for sitting member Mark Turner, who was elected on the Labor ticket at the last election but later defected to become an independent.

Labor's Dani Eveleigh had just 14 per cent of primary votes at the latest count.

Just 13 per cent of votes have been counted in the northern Darwin seat of Fannie Bay so far but the initial results show there could be an upset.

The Greens are leading the first preference count with 37 per cent of votes.

That compares to the CLP's 31 per cent and sitting Labor MLA Brent Potter's 29 per cent.

But the ABC's elections analyst Antony Green says he's "certainly not" predicting a Greens win here, as the two-party preferred results would benefit Labor.

"If the CLP slipped to third in that seat, their preferences are directed to Labor, so this will be interesting to see what order the candidates finish here," he said.

The Greens have never won a seat in the NT in both territory or federal elections.

Emotions are running high at the CLP's campaign centre in Darwin, where Clinton Howe is hugging supporters after snagging Eva Lawler's seat of Drysdale.

CLP candidate Andrew Mackay won the seat of Goyder, held by independent and long-time territory politician Kezia Purick, with a swing of 28 per cent.

The CLP looks all but certain to win the crucial northern Darwin seat of Wanguri.

At 27 per cent of votes counted, the CLP's Oly Carlson was ahead with 47 per cent of the primary count.

That represents a swing of almost 23 per cent.

The safe Labor seat was held by former deputy chief minister Nicole Manison, who is retiring from politics at this election.

Losing the advantage of incumbency is proving to be a major blow for Labor here with their candidate Shlok Sharma only securing 29 per cent in the primary count so far.

Independent candidate Graeme Sawyer had 15 per cent of first preference votes.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler has lost the seat of Drysdale in Palmerston to CLP candidate Clinton Howe. 

Antony Green says there's been a "substantial" two-party preferred swing of 22 per cent to the Country Liberal Party. 

"As well as her government losing office, it appears that Eva Lawler will also lose her own seat," he says.

Natasha Fyles, who resigned as chief minister in December, told the ABC's election panel she's disappointed by a CLP victory.

"It's extremely disappointing," she says.

"You see how hard your colleagues work."

She says Labor is still hoping to retain bush seats, such as the seat of Daly, which currently holds a slight swing to Labor by less than 1 per cent.

ABC's election analyst Antony Green has called an election win for the Country Liberal Party. 

"The Labor government has been defeated," he says.

"It looks like a substantial defeat, and it looks like the CLP will win with a majority, and maybe even a substantial majority."

It ends eight years of Labor government in the territory.

Early figures show a two-party-preferred swing of more than 10 per cent.

ABC elections analyst Antony Green says early results show a two-party preferred swing to the Country Liberal Party of 13.7 per cent.

"At this stage these results are disastrous for the Labor party," he says.

"The Labor party result is just under 30 per cent, the CLP is just under 50 per cent, the Greens on 11 [per cent] and others on 11 [per cent]."

We’ve had some very early voting totals come in, with under 10 per cent of the vote counted in some electorates.

The early indications show a swing to the CLP, as ABC elections analyst Antony Green explains: 

"We will go first to Brennan ... the swing is 13.3 per cent to the CLP in that electorate.

In Spillett, Lia Finocchiaro's seat ... look at those figures. That is a 13.5 per cent swing to the CLP, so that is two big swings we have seen."

Here’s what we know so far:

Braitling

Joshua Burgoyne (CLP) – 236 votes

Asta Hill (Greens) – 136 votes

Allison Bitar (Labor – 38 votes

Fannie Bay

Suki Dorras-Walker (Greens) – 300 votes

Laurie Zio (CLP) – 255 votes

Brent Potter (Labor) – 234 votes

Karama

Brian O'Gallagher (CLP) – 447 votes

Ngaree Ah Kit (Labor) – 255 votes

Justine Glover (independent) – 157 votes

Andy Rowan (Greens) – 67 votes

Brennan

Marie-Clare Boothby (CLP) – 252 votes

Tony Sievers (Labor) – 88 votes

Namatjira

Bill Yan (CLP) – 68 votes

Blair McFarland (Greens) – 26 votes

Sheralee Taylor (Labor) – 23 votes

Spillett

Lia Finocchiaro (CLP) – 278 votes

Caleb Burke (Labor) – 96 votes

Gwoja

Chansey Paech (Labor) – 247 votes

Jarrod Jupurula Williams (CLP) – 118 votes

Nelson

Gerard Maley (CLP) – 306 votes

Beverley Ratahi (independent) – 74 votes

Anthony Venes (Labor) – 49 votes

Sanderson

Kate Worden (Labor) – 262 votes

Jinson Charls (CLP) – 242 votes

Reporter Charmayne Allison has provided an update outside Labor's headquarters in Alice Springs, where she says there's an air of "cautious optimism" among party members.

"There are two seats in particular that they have their eyes on. These are Barkly and Namatjira which are both held by very slim margins by the CLP," she said.

Barkly won by just five votes at the last election while Namatjira was won by 22 votes at the last election.

"[Labor is] hopeful they've campaigned enough in the recent weeks to hopefully nab them back for their party," she said.

"Both of these seats take in many remote Aboriginal communities which often poll strongly with Labor, but they also have quite low voter turn-outs."

Were you hoping to see a few results by now?

Us too!

ABC election analyst Antony Green says he's still waiting for official numbers to come through from the NT Electoral Commission. 

Green says he called the NTEC to check everything was OK, but they just haven't "had anything come through".

He says scrutineers are working through the ballot papers and have a "legal obligation to be accurate".

"Normally I would have expected something by now," Green said.

"It's been a couple of years since I've done the Northern Territory election and there are fewer small polling places nowadays."