The race to become the MP for the NSW seat of Bradfield is heading for a recount after the Liberal and teal candidates were separated by only eight votes in the initial count.
Nearly three weeks after the federal election, the seat is still undecided, with the lead flipping between Liberal Gisele Kapterian and independent Nicolette Boele as the count progressed.
Kapterian was originally declared the winner in Bradfield by some media outlets, and was in the Liberal party room during the leadership contest that led to Sussan Ley be named opposition leader.
However, a strong spread of postal and absentee votes to the teal independent caused her to take a narrow lead in the Liberal stronghold.
Boele had a lead of just three votes early on Friday afternoon, but figures from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) put the two-candidate preferred vote at 56,190 to both in an update just after 4pm.
A later update gave Kapterian a lead of just eight votes — 56,191 to Boele's 56,183.
"The recount will proceed in accordance with the AEC's longstanding policy to conduct a recount for any House of Representatives contests where the final margin is under 100 votes," the commission said in a statement.
It said the recount will involve a new count of all first preference votes and a complete recount of the two-candidate preferred count previously undertaken.
The recount will start on 26 May, the AEC said, adding that the process is expected to take up to two weeks.
The seat, which covers parts of Chatswood, Cammeray and St Leonards in the upper North Shore, was held by Liberal Paul Fletcher before the 3 May poll.
