Within two months a by-election must be held to replace the Smiths South seat vacated by MP C.V. (Jim) Woolridge yesterday.

And voter apathy and an NLP candidacy could be the spoiler for a victory there by either of the two major parties.

Mr. Woolridge had been in politics for 33 years when he announced his retirement during yesterday's opening session of the House of Assembly.

Smith's South, a constituency which at last count had 1,576 registered voters, was for long considered a United Bermuda Party stronghold.

But the November 1998 General Election saw the constituency come close to marginal status for the first time. And it is anybody's guess whether the UBP can field a candidate as popular and well known as Mr. Woolridge who has held commanding leads in elections in that constituency for most of the elections of the last 30 years.

In the 1998 Election, PLP newcomer Lt. Col. David Burch came in third with 563 votes - an increase of 223 votes on the PLP's last showing in the area in 1993 when Clark Godwin won 340 votes.

Mr. Woolridge's running mate, maverick MP Trevor Moniz won 730 votes -- 30 more than last time around. And Mr. Woolridge topped the polls with 750 votes -- 20 less than his 1993 showing.

The NLP's candidate Graeme Outerbridge gained less votes (150) than the number of registered voters (265) who decided to stay home on polling day.

Independent Gershwin Smith tallied up 38 votes and three ballots were rejected.

Yesterday UBP leader Pamela Gordon refused to discuss who will be the UBP's candidate for the pending election, saying it was too early for such discussion.

But Devonshire South MP John Barritt told The Royal Gazette that there could be as many as three or four UBP members interested in the privilege of taking the baton from Mr. Woolridge.

And party chairman Austin Woods told the broadcast media that the party is ready for a by-election.

Col. Burch was rewarded for his efforts in 1998 with an appointment to the Senate - considered a training ground for those aspiring to elected office.

Whether the Colonel would be willing to resign his Senate seat for another crack at being the Smith's South representative also remains to be seen.

The NLP's Jamahl Simmons told The Royal Gazette that Mr. Woolridge's retirement from the House comes as no surprise to the NLP which has no members in the House.

Mr. Simmons said that they had a choice of a number of potential candidates, and the party hierarchy, would meet in due course to select one.

That candidate is almost sure to be Graeme Outerbridge who has thrown his hat in the ring for every single Smith's South election in the last 17 years.

With an NLP candidacy a sure thing, the outcome of the election may well depend on getting 1998's disenchanted to show up at the polling station.

No comment: UBP leader Pamela Gordon