By Cam Lucadou-Wells
Keysborough South and Springvale South wards are too close to call after early counting in the Greater Dandenong elections.
Greens candidate Rhonda Garad narrowly leads the Keysborough South primary count with 28.4 per cent.
In what appears a two-candidate race out of the 11-strong field, ALP member Stephen Fanous (25.8 per cent) is behind by 176 primary votes.
Mr Fanous is expected to get a favourable preference flow, which is yet to be counted.
He is preferenced higher than Ms Garad by other ALP-member candidates Ramy El-Sukkari (fifth, 7 per cent) and Gam Le (seventh, 5 per cent).
He is also preferred by ‘blue-and-yellow’ independent Jeruisha Williams (fourth, 7.6 per cent) as well as three other running mates.
However Ms Garad is preferenced higher by ALP-member candidate Jessica Halliday (third, 9.9 per cent).
Meanwhile, sitting councillor Loi Truong faces a fight to hold his Springvale South seat.
Mr Troung leads the primary count with 32 per cent of the vote ahead of fellow ALP-member Leang Vuorch Kong (23 per cent) and ‘blue-and-yellow’ independent William Billings (17 per cent).
Mr Truong is preferenced behind Ms Kong by the other four candidates.
So far, ALP-member incumbents Jim Memeti (Dandenong Ward), Sophie Tan (Noble Park Ward) and Sean O’Reilly (Springvale North Ward) are likely to be re-elected.
First-time ALP member candidates Lana Formoso (Noble Park North Ward) and Richard Lim (Springvale Central) are also likely to win their seats.
The remaining six wards, including Cleeland, Dandenong North, Keysborough and Yarraman, are too close to call.
