Bermuda Party primary which all but assures the winner a seat in the House of Assembly.

Such a UBP stronghold is Paget East that the July 14 by-election is considered a formality.

However, a split in the party over Government's recent handling of the Independence issue promises to create interest in the primary.

Mr. David Skinner, who captured 19 percent of the vote in 1989, is considering another run as an Independent.

Last night was the deadline for UBP hopefuls to put forward their names. The only two candidates accepted were Management and Technology Minister Sen. the Hon. Grant Gibbons and Maritime Museum director Dr. Edward Harris.

It is understood that an application submitted last night by former Women's Advistory Council chairman Mrs. Kim Young was refused for technical reasons.

Midnight last night was also the deadline for people wishing to sign up as members of the Paget East UBP branch if they wanted to vote in the primary.

UBP chairman Sen. Gary Pitman said the party's Code of Conduct said membership for 14 days was required to vote in a primary.

The exception was UBP members whose names were on the branch list as being paid up last year, Mr. Pitman said. They could show up on the date of the primary, pay their $1 membership fee, and vote, he said.

Still, the sudden membership cut-off angered some party supporters. Mr. Trevor Moniz MP, who backs Dr. Harris, was reportedly pounding the Paget East pavements until midnight this morning, signing up as many supporters as possible.

Governor Lord Waddington issued the by-election writ yesterday. UBP founding member and backbencher the Hon. John Stubbs died on June 7 after a long fight with cancer. He represented Paget East along with the Premier.

The by-election had to be held within 60 days of the vacancy, and the maximum time allowed between issuing the writ and holding the by-election was 28 days.

Since the primary had to be held at least 14 days later than yesterday's meeting, and Nomination Day is June 30, the only other possible date for the primary was June 29.

An advance poll for the by-election is to be held on July 7.

A new voter's list which takes effect today is to be used in the July 14 by-election. Paget East was the smallest constituency in the recent general election, with only 1,209 registered voters.

In the October 5 election, the two Government members coasted to victory in Paget East. Each had a 700-vote plurality, and the other candidates lost their deposits.

Sen. Gibbons, who announced his candidacy yesterday, said Bermuda was "facing the most challenging period in its history since the Second World War.'' But with his responsibilities for the Base takeover and telecommunications, he saw "enormous opportunities on the horizon''.

The 41-year-old managing director of Gibbons Company said the UBP needed "energetic, hard-working team players'', and a "new generation of UBP leadership''.

The 1993 UBP campaign chairman narrowly lost a primary in Smith's South in 1992.

Dr. Harris, director of the Maritime Museum, has been an approved UBP candidate for several years but is entering his first primary. He announced his candidacy on Monday.

He said yesterday Government had mishandled the Independence issue, and Bermuda should explore joining the European Union after 1997.

Sen. Gibbons said he was "not in favour of Independence at the present time'', but felt the information on the issue should be updated.