ACT Labor Chief Minister Andrew Barr has won his first Territory election and extended his party's reign over Canberra to 19 consecutive years.
Mr Barr claimed victory just after 10pm on Saturday night, to a room full of jubilant party faithful all chanting "four more years".
"Canberrans have voted for a positive vision for our city," Mr Barr said.
"A Canberra where everyone is welcome and where everyone and I mean everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential."
Barr government ministers and party campaigners spent the day contemplating, and somewhat accepting, that the Labor Party would end up in opposition after 15-years in office.
"A fundamental rejection of a narrow minded conservative agenda."
But the swing towards the party early into the night quickly lifted the mood of all who had gathered to watch the results unfold in the Labor Club in Canberra's west.
Mr Barr declared the result was "a fundamental rejection of a narrow minded conservative agenda".
Mr Barr became Chief Minister in December of 2014 after his predecessor Katy Gallagher resigned to fill a Senate vacancy.
On Saturday evening, Labor won 39 per cent of the primary vote, with the Liberals on 35.6 per cent and the Greens 10.6 per cent.
"The Canberra Liberals of the most conservative branch of the Liberal Party in the country," Mr Barr said.
"The Liberal Party vote has gone backwards because Canberrans have chosen a positive and progressive vision for our city's future."
Opposition Leader Jeremy Hanson called his rival a little after 9pm to accept that his party would be unable to form government.
"It is the case that it is very difficult for us to form government."
"It is the case that it will be very difficult for us to form government and we have to acknowledge from here it is unlikely that we will do so," Mr Hanson said.
"It is likely now that it will be a continuation of a Labor and Greens coalition in Canberra. That is a disappointing thing, but tonight is not the night to dwell on that."
Mr Barr said he had spoken to ACT Greens Leader Shane Rattenbury about forming a minority government.
"There is absolutely no doubt that we will form a government in the coming week," he said.
"We don't yet know the final makeup of the assembly, and these negotiations will continue into the next week."
The Canberra Liberals believed a strong protest vote would head its way, after spending the past four years arguing against Labor's plan for a north/south light rail network.
Mr Hanson used his concession speech to praise his Deputy Leader Alistair Coe, a man tasked with the mission of talking down the project in the very electorate set to benefit from its construction.
"Asking Alistair to go Yerrabi (north Canberra electorate) to argue against the tram was always going to be a hard ask and he made the case exceptionally well, even though that has not been enough in terms of the result tonight," Mr Hanson said.
Labor estimates the cost of the project at $939 million in today’s dollars, which is to be spread out over two decades.
"Tonight, we can confidently say that Canberra has voted for light rail," Mr Barr said.
The Canberra Liberals had pledged to rip up the contracts, a decision expected to cost millions of dollars, arguing the money should be spent on health instead.
"Canberrans have shown overall that they expect the government to be able to do more than one thing at once."
With AAP
