Tasmanian Liberal leader Will Hodgman is re-staking his claim to become the state's next premier after a crucial win for the party as election counting continues.
Liberal Hobart City Councillor Elise Archer clinched the party's vital 10th seat in the Hobart electorate of Denison overnight, denying Independent Andrew Wilkie by just 315 votes.
The Liberals could yet finish with 11 seats in the hung 25-member assembly, in which the Greens hold the balance of power, with one seat left to be determined later on Wednesday.
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10-10 split
As it stands on Wednesday morning, the Liberals will now send at least 10 MPs into the parliament, the same number as Labor.
In the event of a 10-10 tie, Premier David Bartlett has repeatedly said Liberal leader Will Hodgman should be the first to try to become the premier of a minority government because his party gained the most votes overall.
Mr Hodgman has been quick to remind the public of Mr Bartlett's pledge for the March 20 election.
"As I said on election night, in this event we expect to be given the opportunity to form the next government of Tasmania," Mr Hodgman said in a statement on Wednesday.
"I would now expect Mr Bartlett and Labor to keep their word and for Mr Bartlett to give the appropriate advice to the Governor."
Braddon still uncertain
Labor cannot win any more seats and there is only one still to be decided, the fifth and final spot in the northwest seat of Braddon.
Greens candidate Paul O'Halloran is the frontrunner for Braddon's fifth spot against a Liberal, to be decided on Wednesday.
If Mr O'Halloran wins, the make-up of the next Tasmanian assembly will be a 10-10-five split of Liberal, Labor and Greens, respectively.
Mr Bartlett's position in relation to the 10-10 tie is meanwhile coming under increasing scrutiny.
He is saying he will honour his tie promise to hand over power but will wait until all votes are counted.
A clear win of 11 seats for the Liberals will settle the matter.
Mr Bartlett is at the same time maintaining his stance against doing a deal with the Greens, no matter what, based on his often stated personal distrust of Greens leader Nick McKim.
Bartlett's future unclear
Mr Bartlett could yet be replaced as leader to enable a formal Labor-Greens coalition majority government.
It remains to be seen if Tasmanian Governor Peter Underwood accepts Mr Bartlett's plan for the Liberals to be first to attempt minority government.
Some political experts believe the arrangement is unconstitutional and as the incumbent premier Mr Bartlett may be
first asked by Mr Underwood to at least try to form a majority coalition with the Greens, who remain open to the prospect.
Five electorates in Tasmania each return five candidates under the 100-year-old Hare-Clark system of proportional representation for the 25-member assembly in which 13 MPs make a majority.
