Queensland's LNP has a new leader - but will he be Premier?

Lawrence Springborg has been elected as leader of Queensland’s Liberal National Party, with John-Paul Langbroek as deputy leader.

Caretaker premier Campbell Newman called the party room meeting after he lost his seat at last weekend’s election, declared his political career over and deputy leader Jeff Seeney stood down.

LNP MPs met at Parliament House in Brisbane this morning for the leadership ballot.

Mr Springborg was elected to Parliament in 1989 as the Member for Southern Downs as a 21-year-old and has attracted criticism as a “career politician”.

He led the Opposition for the LNP to three election defeats in 2004, 2006 and 2009.

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Mr Springborg was also deputy to John-Paul Langbroek in 2011 when Mr Newman made his bid to become the premier from outside of Queensland Parliament.

Mr Springborg later became health minister in the Newman government.

Mr Langbroek, the Member for Surfers Paradise, was the Newman government’s education minister.

He had a relatively quiet term in office, following a controversial stint as LNP leader in 2009.

At that time, Mr Langbroek was lambasted in the media for various gaffes and embarrassments, including the revelation that he carried a teddy bear at university, in the style of a character in the novel Brideshead Revisited.

In July 2014, he said he had no interest in returning to the leadership role.

Election vote count continues

With about 85 per cent of the vote counted following last Saturday’s election, Labor appears closest to forming a minority government, with independent MP Peter Wellington declaring his support for the ALP on Thursday.

The Electoral Commission of Queensland (ECQ) said it should get a clearer picture of the election outcome by mid next week.

Read more: Queensland election 2015: Hung parliament possible.

There are several seats in doubt – Ferny Grove, Lockyer, Mansfield, Maryborough, Mount Ommaney and Whitsunday.

On Wednesday, LNP state president Bruce McIver said a by-election in the Brisbane electorate of Ferny Grove would be the “most likely outcome” following revelations Palmer United Party candidate Mark Taverner was an undischarged bankrupt.

That ruled Mr Taverner ineligible from running for Parliament, leaving the ECQ to seek crown law advice on what to do next.

The ECQ said it should get a clearer picture of the election outcome by mid-next week.

A version of this article originally appeared on ABC and is republished here with full permission.