Fresh from a blazing win in the Northern Territory election, the Country Liberal Party will get to work tackling crime.

Labor suffered a devastating defeat with a swing of 12.3 per cent to the CLP on a two-party preferred basis, with the ALP gaining just 25.9 per cent of the primary vote.

Chief Minister Eva Lawler was ousted in her seat of Drysdale.

Chief Minister elect Lia Finocchiaro, the first woman to lead the CLP in the role, said the hard work on behalf of all Territorians would begin on Sunday in “the start of a new day and a new chapter”.

“I will meet with the police commissioner and the chief executive of the Chief Minister and Cabinet to start the work that must immediately begin to make the territory safe,” she said in her acceptance speech.

“We will do whatever it takes. We will do whatever it takes to restore community safety.”

Ms Finocchiaro said her party would get to work on delivering its plan to reduce crime, rebuild the economy and restore “our lifestyle.”

“And we will not let you down.”

Labor will now turn its mind to finding a new leader.

Labor will have to replace Eva Lawler as leader after she lost her seat of Drysdale. Photo: AAP

Ms Lawler said it had been an honour to lead the Northern Territory.

“Every day I drove into work I would pinch myself and say this is an honour,” she said.

“I would have liked longer but it is now up to Labor, Labor will be in opposition.

“It is now up to Labor in opposition to rebuild and look forward, but also to listen to what Territorians have said. That is politics.”

Ms Lawler said she was looking forward to a sleep, a holiday and reading a good book.

She said she would say goodbye to politics.

“I got into politics accidentally,” she told the Labor crowd on Saturday night after conceding defeat.

“I’m the least political person in politics. So I will look to something else at some stage.”

The CLP looks to take 16 seats of the 25-seat parliament, with at least one independent elected and the potential for the Greens to pick up their first NT seat in Fannie Bay.

Labor could have as few as four seats, ABC election analyst Antony Green predicted late on Saturday night.

—AAP