The Tasmanian Electoral Commission has officially confirmed the first MPs elected to the new parliament.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has comfortably secured his return to parliament, joined by fellow Liberal Gavin Pearce in the seat of Braddon.
Liberals Guy Barnett and Jane Howlett have also been re-elected in Lyons, while Eric Abetz has held onto his spot in Franklin.
Independent candidates have made an early impact, with Kristie Johnston winning a seat in Clark and Peter George claiming victory in Franklin.
In Bass, Liberal Bridget Archer and Labor’s Janie Finlay have both reached the quota and are now officially elected.
The distribution of preferences will continue over the coming days until all seven seats in each of Tasmania’s five electorates are filled.
Officials expect the count to wrap up by Saturday.
Election analyst Kevin Bonham told ABC Radio this morning that Bass and Lyons are shaping up as the most unpredictable contests.
“Those are the only [electorates] where there’s a contest between parties where it’s not clear which party is going to win the final seat,” he said.
In Bass, Bonham said Labor, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, the Liberals and the Greens all remain in the mix.
In Lyons, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers’ Carlo Di Falco is tipped to take a seat.
“I would expect in the days later this week, we’ll be able to rule out some of those contenders,” Bonham said.
“It’s possible that it will go all the way to Saturday before we know for sure who has won in the case of Bass.”
“In the case of Lyons, I think there’s a prospect that it will be completely clear before that.”
