Darwin’s mayoral race remains finely balanced, with incumbent lord mayor Kon Vatskalis trailing former CLP deputy chief minister Peter Styles in early counting.
As of Monday, Styles led with 22.8 per cent of first-preference votes, ahead of Vatskalis on 20.7 per cent. Sylvia Klonaris was close behind, securing 10.9 per cent, almost neck-and-neck with Julie Fraser on 10.8 per cent.
Vatskalis, a former NT Labor minister, has served as Darwin’s lord mayor since 2017 and is seeking a third term. Klonaris, meanwhile, has emerged as a competitive contender, holding a solid share of the early vote.
With only 58.2 per cent of ballots counted, the outcome remains uncertain. NT Electoral Commissioner Kirsten Kelly confirmed a 13-day counting period, with more than 30,000 votes already tallied from the city’s 51,716 enrolled voters.
Source: ABC News
