Adam Giles has admitted the Northern Territory election was a "landslide" and a "thumping" after Labor stole government with a swag of new seats.
The former chief minister declared the result a lesson that "disunity is death in politics" while promising the Country Liberal Party - which ended Saturday night with just two seats - would rebuild.
"Tonight, no doubt, is a landslide, it's a thumping," Mr Giles told supporters at a CLP function in Alice Springs on Saturday evening.
"I don't think anyone would describe it as anything different."
The CLP won the 2012 election with 16 of 25 seats, but a series of scandals and five defections left it heading to Saturday's poll with a minority government.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
He conceded the CLP's loss about 8.30pm on Saturday.
Mr Giles' seat of Braitling is still too close to call, with Labor candidate Dale Wakefield just ahead on two candidate preferred late on Saturday evening.
He blamed "personality before politics" for the landslide loss, putting the result down to members looking after themselves before the people.
"And that message has been heard loud and clear within the candidates and within the party."
Issuing a pledge to end disagreements, Mr Giles promised the CLP would come back bigger and better.
"Because one thing is for sure, Labor can't manage the economy, Labor can't manage law and order," he said.
"And Territorians, one day in the future, will call on us to take leadership."
The result wasn't a surprise to many CLP members, with candidate for Araluen Stephen Brown saying it was merely disappointing the party hadn't been able to turn the result around.
"We were always expecting that," he told AAP on Saturday night.
"The mistakes were the infighting and the personal glory over the interest of the community.
"It's something that most of us find fairly unforgivable."
But Mr Brown believes the CLP government did a lot for Alice Springs and the loss was unfortunate for the community.
His seat appears to be won by independent Robyn Lambley, a former CLP deputy chief minister who quit the party last year over what she labelled a "boys club".
Mr Brown believes Ms Lambley's inability to work with the CLP makes her unable to represent Alice Springs in parliament.
"I put (her election) down to a degree of ignorance in the community," he said.
"I don't think people clearly understand that it was her fault that she left."
Ms Lambley couldn't be contacted immediately for comment.
The former chief minister offered condolences to ministers and staffers who lost their jobs, while thanking his partner Phoebe and two children.
He believes his government put the NT on a solid footing.
"I think the territory will grow and prosper much better for all that we have done," he said.
Despite the thumping, the former chief minister hasn't forgotten how to joke, issuing some advice to his successor Michael Gunner based on a bathroom sex scandal involving former sports minister Nathan Barrett.
"I said to Michael (Gunner), just make sure that you watch many of your parliamentary colleagues around bathrooms at parliament house."
And after earlier telling journalists he'd drink a beer if he lost, he finished his concession speech with a swig for supporters.
