faced in 1967, the leader of Bermuda's third political party pointed out.

National Liberal Party chairman Charles Jeffers said there were two main parties, the United Bahamian Party (UBP) and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) at that time in the Caribbean country.

The UBP was the ruling party until the 1967 election when the PLP won for the first time.

But also in existence was a third party, the Free National Movement (FNM), said Mr. Jeffers.

"It was positioned similar to the NLP, a little stronger than we are at present, but it did not create big waves.'' After the UBP's defeat, that party slowly began to disintegrate. Its members who wanted to stay in politics joined the FNM.

Meanwhile the PLP remained in power from 1967 to 1993.

"When a party is in power for that length of time, the party becomes arrogant,'' noted Mr. Jeffers. "It thinks that whatever it does it will get re-elected.'' Some members of the PLP became disenchanted with the way the party was going and left to join the FNM, including Cabinet Minister Hubert Ingraham.

And in 1993, the FNM was elected to power under Mr. Ingraham's leadership.

"This is how political fortunes can change. So when people say there is only room for two political parties in Bermuda, I say OK -- which two?''ELECTION CAMPAIGN '98