The South Australian Labor party has been tasked with selecting a new leader, as ousted premier Jay Weatherill heads to the backbench.
Mr Weatherill confirmed on Sunday he would step down from the top job after failing to win a record fifth term for Labor in the state.
He said he did not know when his replacement would be chosen but that it would be "sooner rather than later", once all of the election results were known.
The Liberals have won at least 24 seats in the state's 47-seat parliament and Labor is tipped to claim 18.
However the Labor seat of Mawson and Liberal seat of Adelaide remain in contention.
"We've got to see who is in the caucus first," Mr Weatherill told reporters.
Mr Weatherill named Peter Malinauskas, Stephen Mullighan and outgoing treasurer Tom Koutsantonis among talented MPs who could replace him.
Mr Malinauskas, who has long been touted as a possible leadership successor, was on Saturday successful in his bid to shift from the upper house to the lower house.
The move means the former union boss, who joined the Legislative Council in 2015 through a casual vacancy, could take up the top job if it's presented to him.
When pressed, Mr Weatherill admitted Mr Malinauskas - who served in several ministerial portfolios in his government - was a "stand out".
"He's a stand out performer. He's been a fantastic minister. He'll be a very powerful candidate," he said.
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