The United Bermuda Party (UBP) is set to announce Kenneth Bascome and Senator Kim Swan as its candidates for the east end constituencies, St. George's North and St. George's West.

The pair will be taking on a good chunk of the former St. George's North where Premier Jennifer Smith and her running mate Delaey Robinson won handily at the 1998 General Election.

Parochial issues for the area include the future of the former Club Med, crime and security.

Mr. Bascome, a businessman and an alderman of the Corporation of St. George's, joined the UBP last year after 30 years as a PLP member.

A well known personality in St. George's, he is expected to be officially confirmed as the Opposition candidate to St. George's North, or constituency Number One, for the coming election.

Like the old St. George's North, constituency Number one takes in the town of St. George's.

Mr. Robinson is not expected to contest the next election which has to be called this year.

According to the report of the Boundaries Commission which recommended that the Island be divided into 36 single seat constituencies, the new voting district has 1,080 people eligible to vote.

Senator Kim Swan will be confirmed for St. George's West, which is estimated to have around 1,127 eligible voters.

Senator Swan was born and raised in Southampton but spent close to 20 years working for the St. George's Golf Club as its manager and golf professional.

He first contested an election in 1983 but failed in his bid to become the representative for Sandys South.

And in 1998, he was appointed an Opposition Senator after contesting the election in St. George's North.

In 2001, Senator Swan was appointed Opposition Leader in the Senate. He played a key role in a UBP driven petition campaign for a constitutional conference and referendum on constitutional reform.

UBP candidates for the new constituency of St. David's (Number three) have yet to be formally decided, but observers say that Suzanne Holshouser, best known as ZBM's weather girl, has been tipped to be the candidate over Rocky Fox.

The area's other ruling party incumbents, Reverend Wilbur Lowe and contractor Arthur Pitcher, are both expected to contest the elections but it is as yet unclear which districts they will be nominated to.

The Progressive Labour Party (PLP) is creating new branch organisations for each new constituency.