Gareth Ward, a NSW lawmaker who is facing sexual assault accusations, seems to be in line to win back his seat.
Ward is pulling ahead of Katelin McInerney, a Labor candidate, as more votes are tallied in the Kiama seat.
Currently, Ward is ahead of McInerney by 50.8% to 49.2% of the two-party preferred votes.
Despite being charged with multiple severe crimes, Gareth Ward is on pace to win his seat in Kiama.
Ward entered a not guilty plea to all five of the allegations yesterday.
Police claim Ward raped a 27-year-old man in Sydney in September 2015 and indecently assaulted a 17-year-old kid in Meroo Meadow on NSW’s south coast in February 2013.
He is accused of five crimes, including having sex without consent, three counts of indecent assault, and common assault, which is a substitute allegation for one of the indecent assault accusations.
As a Liberal candidate, Ward won the South Coast seat for the first time in 2011.
However, he was compelled to resign from the party and run as an independent during this term after being accused of a crime.
Gareth Ward, a Kiama MP, has denied any misconduct.
He is not allowed to participate in the house or committees because to the allegations.
Yet unless he is found guilty, he will keep his income and electorate position.
Premier Chris Minns’ hopes of forming a majority government are dwindling as votes are still being counted in the undetermined seats.
Kiama is one of the four unclaimed seats. In each of them, Labor’s candidates are barely in front.
Earlier afternoon, the Miranda seat was declared for the Liberal Party.
Currently, Labor possesses 46 seats, just one short of a complete majority.
At the time of this count, the Coalition has 32 seats, the Greens have 3, and there are eight independents.
