Kim Young last night romped home in a crushing victory over the other two contenders in Paget East.

A win for the ruling UBP was a racing certainty -- but the scale of the triumph surprised even UBP diehards.

And Mrs. Young said after the result was announced less than two hours after the polls closed that the vote was a sign of the Country getting behind the new Premier.

She added: "It's a great message which has been sent out which reflects how people are feeling about the new Premier.

"There's a nice feeling out in the community that she will get on with what needs to be dealt with instead of being bogged down by some of the things which have been happening over the last couple of years.'' She thanked the electorate for backing her and her rivals for "a clean fight''.

And Mrs. Young added: "I have now got to assume the responsibility facing me -- I've got a lot to find out and learn to represent the people well.'' Mrs. Young increased the UBP share of vote compared to the last by-election in 1994 when Finance Minister Grant Gibbons won a seat.

The share for the PLP's Craig Walls, however, fell in what was a three-horse race rather than the four runners in the 1994 contest.

But the number of voters turning out dropped -- down five percent from 60 percent in 1994, or 54 voters.

Mrs. Young said, however: "It's hard after a primary -- I'm thrilled with the result -- but everybody gets hyped up for that and asking them to come out a second time so soon afterwards is hard. It's hard to keep the momentum going.'' Dr. Gibbons -- who was at the count at the Horticultural Hall in Paget's Botanical Gardens -- agreed it was a low turnout.

But he said: "It was a very solid turnout which shows people are generally happy.

"When there is not a lot of concern, people are not as anxious to come out and vote. There is a sense of well being to a large degree.'' Financial portfolio manager Craig Walls, a smart-suited professional new wave PLP first-time runner, got one vote less than party firebrand Rolfe Commissiong in 1994 -- and only one more vote than third-placed UBP maverick Sanders Frith Brown, who ran under an Independent ticket.

Last night a stunned Mr. Walls said the constituency was not representative of Bermuda as a whole -- but that party policies had to have a broad appeal.

And he added that he had not been impressed by anything Kim Young had said during her campaign.

But he added: "If you can't get the confidence of these people, it's quite scary.'' And he said he was now considering whether to run again, even in a seat with a better chance of victory.

He added: "I give the PLP a lot of credit for keeping up the fight over this last 30 years.

"But I'm reconsidering after a thrashing like that. If you can't appeal to people of that calibre, I would question my ability in general.

"I was thoroughly rejected by the voters -- you can't really say much more than that.

"I would even question the logic of putting forward a candidate in that constituency if the thrashing is consistent to the point where you're just wasting a deposit.'' Sanders Frith Brown -- a thorn in the side of the UBP hierarchy -- stood in protest at machine politics and the party's backroom crew.

But he admitted last night: "There is an overwhelming feeling of optimism about Pamela Gordon as Premier -- which I share.'' Mr. Frith Brown added that he had now withdrawn his threat to run as an Independent in Warwick East or West -- which could have caused much more serious problems for the UBP than his stand in Paget East.

He added, however, that he still felt a number of people in Bermuda were "fed up'' with party politics and that the people who voted in Paget East were diehard UBP supporters who would have "voted if an old shoe had been there.''