Libs’ Ogilvie mounts comeback in count

Madeleine Ogilvie and Simon Behrakis are facing a nail-biting finish in Tasmania's election as they battle to survive on preferences. LATEST >>

Liberal candidates for Clark Simon Behrakis and Madeleine Ogilvie speak to the media at Sandy Bay on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.

Liberal Minister Madeleine Ogilvie is staging a tenacious comeback as the vote count in the 2025 Tasmanian House of Assembly election continues.

Ms Ogilvie finished the first-preference vote count in third place on the Liberal ticket, behind running mates Marcus Vermey and Simon Behrakis.

The party looks to be on track to win two seats in the southern electorate, pointing to the possible exit of the former Labor MP, turned independent, who joined the Liberals in 2021.

But Ms Ogilvie has narrowed a 670 vote deficit to just 86 at one point before it extended to 108 as the exclusion of low-polling candidates continued and preferences were distributed.

In further counting in the seat of Bass, former Deputy Premier Michael Ferguson was declared elected by the Tasmanian Electoral Commission on Wednesday.

He joins nine other candidates who have already secured quotas.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff and his Liberal running mate Gavin Pearce were earlier elected in Braddon, along with Guy Barnett and Jane Howlett in Lyons.

Independent Kristie Johnston was declared elected in Clark and Peter George in Franklin, ahead of Liberal Eric Abetz.

In Bass, Liberal Bridget Archer and Labor’s Janie Finlay were also declared elected.

The count is expected to continue until Saturday when the winners of the final seats, likely to be the seventh in both Bass and Lyons, will be determined.

Originally published as Libs’ Ogilvie mounts comeback in count