Electoral reform will proceed without a referendum or constitutional conference, the British Government has decided.

And the next General Election will be held under a revamped single seat electoral system.

Government House yesterday released a draft order which the Foreign Secretary plans to put before the Privy Council for rubber stamping in January next year.

The decision means that the Constitution will be changed to transform Bermuda's electoral map from the current dual seat system to a single seat one as recommended last summer in the Boundaries Commission's report. Bermuda will have 36 electoral constituencies, as configured in the report, each one to return one person to the House of Assembly.

The House approved the report October 11 and an add-on Opposition motion for a constitutional conference was defeated.

The draft order also requires that any future changes in the number of constituencies would require another Order in Council changing the constitution. But the names and boundaries of the districts can be changed by the Governor following a Boundaries Commission review.

And, as required of the last Commission, future Commissions will be required to consider the views of the public and make sure each constituency is as equal in size as possible.

Sections of the order impacting on the size of the House of Assembly would come into force following the next dissolution of the Legislature, effectively binding the country to have the general election under the single seat system.

Premier Jennifer Smith was unable to respond to a request for comment by presstime last night.

Contacted at his home in London, England, Warren Cabral, secretary of the Association for Due Process and The Constitution said that more time was needed to study the draft order properly before making a comment.

"Suffice it to say, we have had written undertakings from the Foreign Office that they would engage in further consultation in Bermuda," he said in an e-mailed response. "We will now have to inquire from the Foreign Office if they intend to renege on these undertakings."

The Association had pressed hard for a conference, arguing that major changes to the Constitution should not be made without one.

"My general reaction, and as a party, is that we are very pleased that the British Government is prepared to publish the draft order and make it accessible to the general public," said Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons. "Like the broader community we are going to be studying it before making any further comment."

He added that the British had not made a direct statement on whether a conference could still take place.

"The question is, (have) the British changed (their) position on it not being ruled in, or ruled out? Is this it, or is there a possibility for some other issues to be raised? "

The Boundaries Commission was empowered to come up with its report by an order in council passed in the summer of last year.

After widely publicised demands for a conference and a referendum which would give the public a chance to accept or reject the recommendations, the British Government said that a "cooling off" period will take place after the House debate and before another order is made changing the constitution, and that a conference was neither ruled in or out in the interim.