the United Bermuda Party.

And his backers say he already has more than the 11 votes he needs to win the contest.

After the Independence debate that split the UBP, "I'm for a healing process,'' Dr. Saul told The Royal Gazette yesterday. If elected Premier, "I see a Cabinet that has people from both sides.'' But Tourism Minister the Hon. C.V. (Jim) Woolridge -- Dr. Saul's likely opponent in next Friday's leadership contest -- wasted no time firing a verbal salvo at Dr. Saul.

And some Government observers said yesterday they still saw room for a third candidate to come up through the middle. One MP said Dr. Saul could be a stalking horse for a candidacy by Management and Technology Minister the Hon.

Grant Gibbons or Human Affairs Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill.

Tuesday is Nomination Day, and on Thursday a special meeting will be held at which candidates may deliver short speeches and answer questions. Only the 21 UBP MPs can vote in the election, and each candidate must be nominated by five MPs.

Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan resigned as UBP leader on Thursday and is expected to step down as Premier after the caucus meets to choose a new leader on Friday.

The Finance Minister said yesterday he was "approached by a substantial group of Parliamentarians and asked would I put my name forward.

"I have told them that, having consulted my wife, I am prepared to put my name forward.'' But Mr. Woolridge said the overwhelming "no'' vote in Wednesday's Referendum means that the next UBP leader should be someone who openly opposed Independence.

"The wishes of the people were spoken on Wednesday, and they did not support those people who aligned themselves with that Independence drive,'' Mr.

Woolridge said.

Dr. Saul, 55, a member of the Cabinet committee that wrote the controversial discussion paper on Independence called a Green Paper, remained publicly neutral on whether Bermuda should break its 386-year-old colonial ties with the United Kingdom.

But Mr. Woolridge, 68, said Dr. Saul supported the Independence drive that was led by Sir John.

"I'm not inside Dr. Saul's head, but I do know that he was associated with the Independence move by his appearance in those TV commercials,'' Mr.

Woolridge said.

Saul throws hat into ring y From Page 1 And Dr. Saul said an Independent Bermuda "would soar to the moon'', the Tourism Minister said. "That means he supports it.'' Dr. Saul said he never spoke the words attributed to him by Mr. Woolridge. "I would never say anything so fatuous.'' He still would not say where he stood on Independence. "That water is under Flatt's Bridge,'' he said.

Bermudians had spoken in the referendum and "there should be no consideration of winners and losers or victors and vanquished''.

He took his credo from the prayer MPs said before each sitting of the House of Assembly. The role of Government was "to enhance the peace, prosperity, and welfare of these islands'', he said.

Dr. Saul said the overtures to him by other MPs took place most of the day on Thursday, though the possibility of him becoming the next leader had been raised as early as 1994.

He would not say whether the Premier -- who pledged to resign unless Bermudians voted "yes'' to Independence -- was among those who approached him.

But sources said Dr. Saul's support includes the Premier, Health and Social Services Minister the Hon. Quinton Edness, Transport Minister the Hon. Maxwell Burgess, Community and Cultural Affairs Minister the Hon. Wayne Furbert -- all of whom had threatened to move to the back bench.

"They've struck a deal,'' one MP said of the pro-Independence group in Cabinet. "They've found a way to maintain their positions.'' Mr. Furbert said yesterday he was supporting Dr. Saul and would be willing to serve in Cabinet under him.

"I think he will be the ideal person right now to heal both sides,'' Mr.

Furbert said.

Dr. Saul, president of Fidelity International Ltd., had the confidence of international business and was supportive of small black businesses through increased funding to the Small Business Development Corporation, part of Mr.

Furbert's ministry.

"Also, David didn't grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth,'' Mr. Furbert said. "He knows what it is to struggle.'' Earlier, Dr. Saul said he did not plan to seek re-election in Devonshire South in the next general election. But yesterday, he said if he was nominated and elected leader, he would "go right through the next election''.

Former Finance Minister Dr. Clarence James, who is backing Mr. Woolridge, said he did not believe the UBP could win a general election under Dr. Saul.

"He's arrogant,'' Dr. James said. "He's disliked by business people and he's disliked by labour. He's not well-liked.'' Dr. Saul said critics would be "pleasantly surprised'' by how the UBP fared under him in a general election.

While he knew he had not fared well in party polls, "No one is ever going to win a popularity contest as Minister of Finance.'' Dr. James would not confirm a report that if Mr. Woolridge was made Premier, he would be placed in the Senate and return to Cabinet. But he said he would consider serving in a Woolridge Cabinet if asked, and agreed he could only do so if placed in the Senate.

Yesterday, UBP chairman Sen. Gary Pitman paid tribute to Premier the Hon. Sir John Swan as he officially opened the leadership race at Chancery Lane.

The MP chosen will become Bermuda's sixth Government Leader and fifth Premier.

Sir John was sworn in on January 6, 1982, succeeding the Hon. Sir David Gibbons.

Sen. Pitman confirmed he received one nomination yesterday, and Dr. Saul confirmed he had signed his nomination papers, which were also signed by five other MPs. Sources said a letter was also presented to Sen. Pitman in support of Dr. Saul, signed by several more MPs.

Mr. Woolridge had not been formally nominated yesterday.

Deputy Premier the Hon. Irving Pearman, who is off the Island and is not due to return until after the election, will vote by proxy, Sen. Pitman said.

The Hon. C.V. Woolridge The Hon. David Saul