Elizabeth Lee has confirmed she will seek her colleagues' backing to lead the Canberra Liberals into another term, following the party's seventh straight election loss.
"I'm putting my hand up because I do believe that I'm still the best person to lead the Canberra Liberals, to give us the best chance going into 2028," Ms Lee said.
Ms Lee said feedback from her party room had highlighted the need for stability, which she thought showed a willingness to continue with the same leadership team with "some improvements and changes along the way".
If Ms Lee wins the party room ballot, she could be on track to be the first opposition leader to serve two terms in the position.
Jeremy Hanson, a former Liberal opposition leader, confirmed in the week after the election he would also seek to regain the position.
Ms Lee's confirmation on Tuesday sets up a leadership spill rematch between the pair. Ms Lee defeated Mr Hanson in a party room ballot for the leadership after the Liberals' 2020 election defeat.
Ms Lee said she had discussed her political future with colleagues, party elders and other political advisers.
"I think that a lot of political players, who are in that political bubble, love to talk about this conservative-moderate divide, but ultimately, especially for an ACT government, it's about making sure that Canberrans are getting the services they deserve, that they're paying rates for," she said.
The Canberra Liberals party room will meet on Thursday, the day after the election results are declared, where all leadership positions are spilled.
Ms Lee said she was grateful to have a supportive family, but there had been many considerations before she decided whether to recontest the leadership.
Mr Hanson had said an argument about conservatism versus progressivism in the Liberals was wrong, and showed members had accepted Labor's framing of the party's fortunes.
"We are a big tent and I think these are the issues that matter less to the Canberrans who are voting for us. And you can see the Liberal party vote is broadly in the suburbs - it's families and retirees in the suburbs," he said.
Ms Lee has been opposition leader since 2020, and made no commitments on her future in an election night speech to Liberal supporters.
Ms Lee retained her seat in Kurrajong, which covers the inner north and parts of the inner south, but the Liberals suffered a 4 per cent swing against them. The Liberals have not held two seats in Kurrajong since 2020.
"I think that it's important for the Canberra Liberals to elect the best leader for the term and the territory, and where they live, I think, is a secondary consideration," she said.
Mr Hanson has previously argued the party's leader should live in an electorate where they can support another member into the Assembly with preferences.
Ms Lee said Leanne Castley, who replaced Mr Hanson as deputy leader in December 2023, had her full support to retain the position.
Ms Lee said whoever the party room determined would serve as leader would have her full support, and she also opened up the possibility of Mr Hanson returning to shadow cabinet after a stint on the the backbench.
"If I am privileged to be leader, I would really, really like for Jeremy to play a very important role in my shadow cabinet. Ultimately, that's a decision for Jeremy, but I do have an honest respect for Jeremy," she said.
"He and I understand that it's politics, and we do need to roll with whatever comes our way. But I believe that he has an incredible role to play and I would certainly want to discuss that."
Mr Hanson did not contest the leadership ballot which installed Alistair Coe as opposition leader after he had led the party to a defeat at the 2016 election despite an improved performance against Labor.
Mr Hanson unsuccessfully contested the leadership ballot after the party's 2020 election defeat, losing to Ms Lee.
Following the resignation of Giulia Jones, a fellow member for Murrumbidgee, in early 2022, Mr Hanson was elected deputy opposition leader by his colleagues.
Mr Hanson was acting opposition leader while Ms Lee was on maternity leave, but was dumped as deputy leader in December 2023 after weeks of tensions within the party. Leanne Castley, the Liberal member for Yerrabi, was appointed deputy leader.
Zed Seselja is the current longest-serving opposition leader in the ACT, leading the party to two elections in more than five years in the job.
