Absentee balloting could have made a critical difference to the outcome of the last General Election, according to Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons.

Premier Alex Scott promised that a number of long awaited legislation ? including bills providing for the absentee vote and the Island's first Ombudsman ? will be tabled in the House of Assembly as early as this Friday.

Reaction from the Opposition and others who advocated for the absentee vote has been cautiously optimistic.

"Quite frankly we would have to wait and see what they produce," Dr. Gibbons said.

"But this was a measure that we were trying to push as early as October, 2002 because we recognised that it was an issue that would give a lot more voters the opportunity to vote."

The United Bermuda Party was blocked in its efforts to get Parliament to debate the initiative when former Premier Jennifer Smith tabled a take note motion that her administration had set up a committee to consider the matter.

Asked whether he was pleased that the idea was now finally about to see the light of day, Dr. Gibbons said that his party would wait and see what happens.

"We live in hope ? it may yet be just another promise. And, frankly, an absentee ballot could have made the difference in the last election when you have constituencies that have won or lost by eight votes and given the propensity of Bermudians to travel it could be a substantial factor."

Opposition House Leader and party whip, John Barritt, who attempted to introduce an absentee ballot motion two years ago said he was happy that the legislation was coming forward but could not understand why the Government has taken so long to bring it to the House.

And he took offence to this newspaper's suggestion that his party had been outmanoeuvred on the issue.

"They did not outmanoeuvre the Opposition ? they effectively blocked any forward progress. What they did was then strike a committee of civil servants who came to the same conclusion that three students did when they did a study in 2002," he said.

"Here we are in July, 2004, now coming on two years later and we still don't have the legislation after they were provided with samples."

Mr. Barritt added: "There seems to be a problem generally with Government bringing legislation forward ? I think there must be a problem and the problem needs to be fixed. Some of the legislation is not difficult to do."

And he said that legislative process needed to be changed now ? not in two years time.

"They have been distracted with other things" such as a struggle with taxi drivers over GPS and the Independence, "neither of which are of major concern to the broad majority of Bermudians. "And I have told the Minister of Legislative Affairs Michael Scott in tandem with reforming the rules that we really ought to be developing a legislative committee whereby we could review legislation prior to it coming to the House ? to see whether or not we can improve the speed with which it gets to the House particularly when both sides agree to it.

"That requires the will to make that commitment ? and parliamentary draftsman to be available to the committee."

Law student Jennifer Rhind, who with two others had worked to get the absentee vote on the parliamentary agenda, told that she was eager to see what system the Government would be proposing.

"I am pleased to hear that the absentee voting issue is being set as a legislative priority. I will be interested to see what system the Government plans to use and how quickly it will be implemented," Ms Rhind said.

"We will just have to wait and see how things turn out in Parliament."

The National Liberal Party had first proposed an absentee ballot system similar to that used in Canada where voters can get a special ballot kit if they are going to be absent during an election.

Both parties rejected the idea when it came up some years ago, but last week Mr. Scott said that Government was committed to bring the legislation which would open the vote to students and workers abroad.

"That's going to take quite a bit of management to ensure that the vote is secure and there is no ability to defraud the process," he said.