proceeding "with unseemly haste... but that's the way it has to be'', his widow said yesterday.

"It does seem sort of unseemly haste that we're getting on with it, but they can't really help it, because that's the way it has to be,'' Mrs. Robin Stubbs told The Royal Gazette .

A member of the Paget East United Bermuda Party committee that set the June 28 primary date, Mrs. Stubbs said there was little choice when faced with a July 14 by-election. The primary had to be held before Nomination Day, which had to be on June 30, two weeks before polling day.

"I suppose (Premier the Hon. Sir) John Swan called it,'' Mrs. Stubbs said of the date of the by-election. "I don't know why he called it so soon, but he must have had his reasons for wanting it as soon as possible.'' For the second straight day yesterday, Sir John could not be reached to say why the early by-election date was chosen. Under the Constitution, a by-election to choose Dr. Stubbs' successor could have been held as late as August 8.

"I suppose life has to go on,'' Mrs. Stubbs said. "It would have had to be done, whether it was done this week, or in three weeks time.'' Dr. Stubbs, who was buried on Sunday, simply would have wanted "a fair election'', she said.

Dr. Stubbs, a veteran Parliamentarian and founding member of the UBP, died on June 7 after a long fight with cancer.

The Hon. Grant Gibbons and Dr. Edward Harris have entered the UBP primary to succeed him. But Dr. Harris and his supporters were infuriated when only four hours were given to sign up supporters after the primary date was called.

Yesterday, Dr. Harris took the extraordinary step of calling for the resignation of the leader of the party he hopes to represent.

"John Swan has done remarkable things for Bermuda,'' Dr. Harris said.

"He's had a superb career. But in the way of the democratic process, the general sense is he's done his work and he should now retire with all honours.'' For profiles of Dr. Harris and Sen. Gibbons, see Page 6 .

Backbench MP the Hon. Ann Cartwright DeCouto, a Paget East resident, joined Mr. Trevor Moniz MP in attacking the primary and by-election timing yesterday.

"I think that this smacks of dirty pool,'' she said, adding that she wants a leadership review. "There are going to be a great many angry people in Paget East who have been disenfranchised.

"I'm exceptionally annoyed with the leadership and the party hierarchy.'' Mr.

Campbell McBeath, chairman of the Paget East branch, said yesterday that 372 was expected to be the final number of UBP members eligible to vote in the primary. The constituency has more than 1,200 registered voters, the vast majority of them UBP supporters.

Replying to a letter of complaint from Dr. Harris yesterday, UBP chairman Sen.

Gary Pitman said he asked that the primary be scheduled one day later, on June 29, to allow an extra day to sign up primary supporters.

"I did request the branch chairman to provide the longest period possible under the Constitution,'' Sen. Pitman said. "The branch, however, decided that they did not want to have the primary the night before Nomination Day.'' Mr. McBeath said both dates were considered before June 28 was chosen, adding that he had since received only one complaint from a constituent about the lack of time to sign up for the primary.

Sen. Pitman also said in his letter that "Sen. Gibbons has confirmed to me that he was not involved in any discussion with the Premier regarding the date of the primary or the by-election''.

Mr. Harry Cox of Paget East said yesterday his family was disturbed when they received a telephone call on Saturday from a UBP worker, advising the family to pay their memberships so they could take part in the primary. When asked: "What do you mean? Dr. Stubbs isn't even buried yet,'' the woman said Sen.

Gibbons had asked her to call, Mr. Cox said.

Sen. Gibbons yesterday reiterated that "there might have been a couple of people contacted on Saturday,'' but "the bulk (of registration) was Sunday and onward'', after Dr. Stubbs' funeral was conducted.

Meanwhile, Mr. Gershwyn Smith announced yesterday that he would run in the Paget East by-election as an Independent.

Also known as the "high priest'' Mohatma Shiloh Mahdi, the 44-year-old music publisher ran in Hamilton East in October, on a platform to legalise marijuana.