The person tipped to lead the One Bermuda Alliance must bridge the disconnect between the party and the people, the former chairman said.

Thad Hollis blamed Tuesday’s decisive General Election defeat on the party’s failure to connect with constituents.

“I would say the mistake the OBA had made over the last two years was they focused on the economy, they focused on international business, they focused on building and creating confidence — but they hadn’t communicated (with) or won the hearts of the voters,” he said.

“Where the voters’ priority was and the OBA’s priority — I think they weren’t aligned. I think the OBA did what they set out to do in terms of the economy, but they didn’t capture the emotions of the people that would be voting for them.”

While he had predicted a victory for the Progressive Labour Party, Mr Hollis said he did not expect the margin to be as great as the eventual score of 24-12.

“I thought they may have won about 20 seats,” he said.

Mr Hollis garnered 60 votes as an independent candidate in Hamilton West — more than any other independent including Paula Cox, the former premier, who scored 41 in Devonshire North West.

His constituency was claimed by the PLP’s Wayne Furbert who took 635 votes. The OBA’s Simone Barton had 281.

Reacting to yesterday’s resignation of Michael Dunkley as OBA leader, Mr Hollis said: “It seems to be tradition that leaders do stand down after they lose an election.

“It falls on his shoulders that he is responsible for everything that everyone does. That’s the point of being a leader — you get the glory, you also get the fall.”

The OBA’s next leader, Mr Hollis said, must ensure that the party is relevant, with education the top issue for voters during this election cycle.

The construction of a new airport and hotels, and the America’s Cup — which he described as a “fantastic international event” — were not enough when voters felt their main issue was being ignored.

“That’s not going to make me feel good when my kids go to school,” he said of the other initiatives.

Mr Hollis said the new leader must also speak from the heart.

“It’s that simple,” he said.

“In 2012, when I was chairman of the party, we won because people didn’t have faith or trust in the PLP. I feel accountability is going to be key going forward.”