For two men locked in a grim battle for power which has highlighted Bermuda's stark differences they seem surprisingly similar.

While both PLP fervent supporters and die-hard UBP supporters might baulk at the idea, in many ways Ewart Brown and Michael Dunkley have much in common.

Both assumed leadership after years of power struggles within their party and both have managed to galvanise the faithful while critics have questioned whether they have enough crossover appeal.

Both are confident, occasionally bordering on cocky, and both seem more youthful than their age might suggest with the Premier now 62 and Mr. Dunkley 49.

In the House and in front of the cameras their upright, defiant stance indicates they are not about to back down to anybody, whatever the flak.

They are both known for their strong work ethic which can leave younger colleagues floundering in their wake and neither suffers fools gladly.

Both would rather do than delegate to make sure a task is accomplished — Dr. Brown kept the Tourism and Transport portfolio when he became Premier while Mr. Dunkley kept the Public Safety brief.

And both have made an issue of their own leadership in this election.

Dr. Brown did so in an extraordinary speech kicking off the campaign where he claimed to be the victim of witch hunt involving the media and the Opposition.

He said: "During the course of the past few months, I have been called everything but the child of God, and accused of all manner of evil things."

He declared he had nothing to hide but argued that to invite the media into his home to prove he didn't have stolen cedar beams would set a dangerous precedent.

Dr. Brown alleged anonymous letters had been sent to his home accusing him of "affairs and personal transgressions".

And Mr. Dunkley has put his leadership on the line in the most telling way by swapping his safe Devonshire seat for one held by the PLP in the belief that his hard-work on the doorstep can bring it into the UBP fold and take the party back into power.

For Dr. Brown a lot is riding on the result tomorrow. Long the coming man of Bermuda politics he threatened to retire if he wasn't given the top job a year ago and his party gave him that backing in the hope he could breathe new life into its programme.

He boldly boasted he would take 30 of the 36 seats. To scrape in or, worse still, be the first PLP Premier to lose power would tarnish a reputation built on hard work which has seen airlift to Bermuda increase and tourism show signs of revival.

And Michael Dunkley will be feeling the pressure too.

If the party which once ran Bermuda for 30 years straight goes to its third straight defeat some will begin to again question its long-term viability.

No wonder they both seem like men in a hurry.

One source very close to the Premier said: "I think he understands more than anyone I have ever met that a lifetime is short, a career is even shorter so he has an intense desire to get as much accomplished in the time allotted to him.

"His schedule is extremely busy but as a result he gets more done than most people would dare to try. He's twice my age and he exhausts me."

Asked to sum up the Premier in three words he said: "Intense, driven and focused."

But when he's relaxing? "He's incredibly funny. His sense of humour is something that most people don't see because most people's exposure to him is through the media — all of that is on very serious matters."

The source agreed there are superficial similarities with Mr. Dunkley but said there was a key difference in the way they worked to fix problems.

"I think the Premier is more cerebral than Dunkley, more visionary, while Dunkley is more reactionary. I think Mr. Dunkley is more interested in being popular as opposed to what he thinks is right and I think the Premier in the same situation would be more likely to go with what is right."

Meanwhile a source close to Mr. Dunkley said he had great political instincts and great energy levels.

"You can get him at any time — he will be up at midnight calling people."

And the source said Mr. Dunkley's bold decision to take on Smith's North was an easy decision for a natural competitor who loves a challenge.

"I think he works harder than any politician I have ever known. He sees what needs to be done and he does it."

That attitude has seen Mr. Dunkley get around the homes of Smith's North at least three times, living his stated philosophy that politicians need to end the disconnect they have with the voters.

"He lets everyone around him be themselves but he still has the aura of being in charge."

But he said the UBP leader knows how to unwind — often in front of one of his two giant TV screens watching the Dallas Cowboys. "He's a sports fanatic and he's got a great sense of humour and can crack jokes at any time. Psychologically he's very strong, rarely have I seen him dip."

The source concedes Mr. Dunkley has a few similarities with his opponent. But with at least one big difference.

"He doesn't have a dark side to him — what you see is pretty much what you get."

Not for him any macho rhetoric at being at war or threats to 'settle scores'.

He said Mr. Dunkley had been upset by the attempts to tie him to a drug dealer but had stood up to the allegations including offering to take a lie-detector test.

"He isn't afraid of any kind of scrutiny, that's very refreshing to many."

And he said Mr. Dunkley had grown in stature under the intense pressure of the election.

One independent-minded former UBP MP who has seen a lot of both men said Brown was one of the brightest MPs and probably the best speaker.

"He comes by his charisma naturally."

He said Dr. Brown's approach to problem solving owed much to his medical background of taking diagnosing an illness, choosing a course of medicine and seeing it through to a conclusion.

Mr. Dunkley he described as handworker who was genuinely committed adding Dr. Brown could be a bit of party animal while Mr. Dunkley is very intense while both were either nondrinkers or virtually teetotal.

The veteran parliamentarian added: "Brown is bright enough to give you what you want and make like he hasn't heard you. He takes advice on board and keeps moving but Dunkley can be pretty dogmatic.

"Love him or hate him once he thinks he's right he's going to put his head down and do what he thinks is right."

But of the two he believes Mr. Dunkley has greater crossover appeal. "Dunkley is a worker and puts his head down and works at what he wants to accomplish. In doing so he will reach out."

He said the Premier's crossover appeal was different.

"Whites might not like a like a lot of things Brown may or may not do but they respect him enough to work with him."

Ultimately he said the Premier's experience would give him the winning edge.

But with experience comes baggage. As one PLP supporter said recently: "You started with two bags. Now you have a dozen suitcases."

And PLP veteran Arthur Hodgson said recently that Dr. Brown "makes unnecessary enemies".

Certainly he doesn't shy away from a fight, after publicly threatening the Governor, trying to gag the media and using some startling language to attack political opponents, including labelling one as a "demented deviant".

As Dr. Brown said in the PLP banquet speech seven weeks ago: "There is a time for bold reconciliation and there is a time for confrontation."

While Dr. Brown has repeatedly said the Bermuda Housing Corporation police probe exonerated him it remains a sticky point for some, as does the famous "We had to mislead you" quote given to explain the coup against Jennifer Smith hours after she had won the PLP its second term.

Those words have often come back to haunt him.

But he's not the only leader to have been attacked.

Former National Liberal Party leader Charles Jeffers said this week that he believes Mr. Dunkley has grown as a leader during the onslaught from PLP adverts targeting him.

"I am impressed with the way he's articulated — he's come across as a very forthright." And he said Ewart Brown was charismatic and a great speaker.

Whatever the politics, Mr. Jeffers said the way people voted often came right down to how the leaders make the feel.

"Voters say it's about issues but they always talk about the personalities."

Brown and Dunkley–The similarities

* Both at one stage had US citizenship but gave it up. Mr. Dunkley had dual citizenship through his American mother but renounced after he reached the age of majority while Dr. Brown acquired it during a long stint living in the USA starting in the 1970s but renounced it following criticism after becoming an MP in 1993.

* Both went to university in the USA.

* Both married American women.

* Both are avid sports fans. Both play golf and are members of Mid Ocean Golf Club.

* Both come from up middle class families and inherited from their parents.

* Both own their own business.

* Both are running in a constituency in which they do not live.