The Opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP) is looking for one more candidate to contest the next general election, party chairman Wayne Furbert revealed yesterday.

Speaking at a Rotary Club lunch meeting, Mr. Furbert admitted, when asked, that his party had not quite found a full slate of candidates.

There will be 36 seats up for grabs in the coming election - the first to be held under a single seat electoral system.

"We are well on our way," Mr. Furbert told the club members. "There is probably one area that we are looking at."

The party's campaign material boasts a team of 37, including Leader Grant Gibbons.

At least two members of that team - Pamela Gordon and Kim Young - are expected not to contest the next election.

Mr. Furbert assured his audience that there were still people signing up as potential candidates.

Asked what was the difference between the "old UBP" and the "new UBP", Mr. Furbert said it had a lot to do with a "new way of thinking". "The old UBP had done some good things," he said.

"There's no doubt that when you look around this country and see what was produced, we have been the envy of many countries."

He asked the audience to consider how businesses evolve over time as a key to understanding his party's new identity.

"Is the old Belco the same as the new Belco? I doubt it... There's some new individuals and some new thinking" on how the country should be governed.

But, he added, "the fundamental principles are strong and steadfast."

The UBP embraced mechanisms designed to consult with the public, such as referenda, he said in response to another question.

For months the party has pushed the idea that changes to the Constitution must be ratified directly by the voters following approval by the Island's legislators.

"The Constitution is our bible. Right now it looks as if they or we can willy nilly change the Constitution....We have to protect ourselves from ourselves."

Consultation with the public on key issues affecting the broad community was "the only way" to protect politicians from themselves, he said.

Besides constitutional change, issues like an Island lottery and a casino could also be decided in a referendum, Mr. Furbert added.

"The solutions don't always rest with the 12 disciples in Cabinet."