The two Smith's North seats were formerly held by Speaker Ernest DeCouto and Cabinet Minister Leonard Gibbons. Both retired this year after long political careers.

Mr. Simons and Mr. Marshall kept both seats in the UBP stronghold convincingly in the blue column "because we had a good team and put in a lot of hard work,'' said businessman Mr. Marshall, who beat his running mate by a single vote to top the poll.

Mr. Marshall admitted to feeling "fantastic'' about having been elected a Member of Parliament at his first attempt.

For his part, banker Mr. Simons said that meeting "just about everyone'' who lives in Smith's North had taught him that "my perspective is not always shared by everyone.'' Mr. Simons said that he and Mr. Marshall had spent as long as "two or three'' hours talking with certain voters who would not let them go until the issues had been thrashed out. He added that running for elected office had "helped me grow as an individual'' and that he was "looking forward to a whole new learning experience as a member of the House.'' PLP candidate and trust manager Ms Parris increased her party's share of the vote by half a percentage point in her first appearance as a political candidate.

She said that she felt she had canvassed hard and succeeded in getting her message across to the voters. She also said that she had enjoyed meeting the people of Smith's North and Bermuda and that she "would consider running again.'' Mr. Jeffers attributed his last-place showing in the poll to a comparative lack of funding and "some fear and intimidation.'' He said: "A number of people who had told us that they had not planned to vote obviously decided at the last minute that they would come along and vote.'' Mr. Jeffers spoke of the "fear and intimidation'' some voters felt about voting for a third party.

Turnout in Smith's North this year, at 81.3 percent, was fractionally higher than in 1993, when 79.1 percent of registered voters came out to vote. Former Speaker of the House of Assembly Ernest DeCouto, who had represented Smith's North for 27 years, was on hand in the late afternoon outside the polling station. He declared himself "a little nostalgic'' at attending a General Election in which he was not running as a candidate.

RESULTS Alan Marshall (UBP) 810 Cole Simons (UBP) 809 Patrice Parris (PLP) 437 Charles Jeffers (NLP) 201 Rejected ballots 3 HELLO, HELLO! -- Allan Marshall (left) and Cole Simons from the UBP say hello to voters at the Smith's North polling station.

Around the constituencies Paget West -- Warwick East -- Warwick West -- Southampton East -- Southampton West -- Sandys South -- Sandys North ELECTION REPRINT SPECIAL ISSUED 13th NOVEMBER 1998