Premier Jennifer Smith yesterday tabled in the House of Assembly the report of the Boundaries Commission recommending the number of constituencies and boundaries of a revamped single seat electoral system, and set October 11 as the date the report will be debated in the House.

The report envisions an end to Bermuda's current electoral system which has 20 dual seat constituencies with significant variations in size in favour of 36 single member constituencies of roughly the same size.

The report is available on The Royal Gazette's website www.theroyalgazette.com and will be published in full in Monday's edition.

And it reveals that a key role was played by the Commission's independent members Sir Frank Blackman and Sir Brian Smedley in pressuring the political members to come to an agreement.

“The preparation and submission of this document should be viewed as a watershed development towards the realisation of a long cherished dream of the Bermuda Progressive Labour Party and many other right thinking Bermudians - that of establishing a modernised and reformed electoral system predicated on the democratic ideal of ‘one person, one vote, each vote of equal value',” the Premier said.

Members from both political parties agreed after the brief session that the report would likely be met with bipartisan support. And both sides are keen to have the general public give feedback on the document.

The United Bermuda Party (UBP) is promising a series of public meetings, announced acting leader David Dodwell.

“The results of the report are indeed a watershed in Bermuda's history which will have a significant impact on our future,” he said.

“We trust that all of us will be given a sufficient and reasonable amount of time to digest and discuss the report, its contents and its recommendations - and we are pleased that Parliament was recalled to make the Report available at the earliest opportunity.”

The UBP, he added, can support the recommendation of 36 constituencies but needed to study the actual boundaries fully. As already reported, a number of the new constituencies cross parish boundaries.

But parish names have been retained in identifying the new constituencies - even where they cross two parishes.

And as required by its mandate, the Commission made efforts for each constituency to be as equal in size as possible.

A five percent variation range (from the ideal figure of 1,089 voters) was agreed upon which meant that a constituency could contain between 1,035 and 1,143 voters.

As recommended by the Commission, the largest constituency (Smith's North) will contain 1,148 voters, while the smallest (Warwick South Central) will have 1,031.

The report contains one dissenting view from the Commissioners - by Shadow Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt who expressed concerns that the public had not been fully consulted and that the process should have been more open.

Mr. Barritt also followed his party's formal recommendation to the Commission that the House have an independent speaker. And he suggested that all voters now be reregistered.

The Premier thanked the Commission members chairman Sir Frank Blackman, judicial member Sir Brian Smedley, Dame Lois Browne Evans, Eugene Cox, Pamela Gordon and John Barritt, Commission Secretary Clevelyn Crichlow and Belinda Woolridge who provided administrative support as well as other civil servants who assisted the Commission.

The document caps off the first phase of the reform which began in August 2001 with a legislative order passed in Britain empowering the Commission to carry out the work.

After next month's House debate, the report will be sent by the Governor to British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, together with a report of the debate in the House. Britain will then make a decision on the next steps, which could involve a constitutional conference, before another order is passed changing the system.