Independent Nicolette Boele wins Bradfield by 26 votes

The Australian Electoral Commission has announced Independent Nicolette Boele as the winner of Bradfield by just 26 votes following a recount of initial results.

After the May election, an incredibly tight race was reported between Boele and Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian, who had been selected by the party to replace the retiring Paul Fletcher.

With the contest declared too close to call on election night, multiple media outlets — including the ABC’s chief election analyst Antony Green — called the seat for Kapterian, who was around 200 votes ahead with only 1,000 left to be counted.

But the margin continued to shrink in the following days, setting up weeks of back-and-forth, with both candidates taking turns leading by incredibly marginal vote counts.

Following a first count, Kapterian was ahead by eight votes. The AEC then announced a recount would take place given the results were decided by fewer than 100 votes.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the AEC said the entire recount process was conducted in front of “candidate-appointed scrutineers” in a “very transparent and methodical process of re-scrutinising ballot papers.”

Boele said she was “incredibly honoured” to be provisionally elected.

“This result belongs to our community. Over 1,450 volunteers came together to reinvigorate our democracy from the ground up. After 75 years, Bradfield’s long-standing hold by one party has changed.”

“We have chosen a new path - one that puts people above parties.“

In a statement on Instagram late Wednesday afternoon, Kapterian thanked AEC officials and volunteers for their involvement and said she would now “carefully review the two counts.”

Bradfield had been a Liberal stronghold for 75 years, dating to its inception. The Liberal Party has 40 days to challenge the result in the Court of Disputed Returns following the return of the writs to petition the court.