Pembroke West promises one of the more interesting battles in the next election as Shawn Crockwell of the Bermuda Democratic Alliance bids to turf his old team the United Bermuda Party from one of its strongholds.

Mr. Crockwell won Constituency 19 for the UBP in December 2007, beating Walton Brown of the Progressive Labour Party by 505 votes to 361.

However, within two years, Mr. Crockwell was one of five MPs to quit the official Opposition, later teaming up with fellow defectors Donte Hunt and Mark Pettingill to found the BDA in November last year.

The UBP has already unveiled veteran politician Erwin Adderley as the man it hopes can win back the seat; ironically Mr. Adderley wanted to represent the party there in 2007, but was turned down in favour of Mr. Crockwell.

The PLP has yet to unveil its candidate for Pembroke West, but is said to be eying a possible victory, hoping that it will hang on to most of its 361 votes while the UBP sheds many of its 505 to the BDA.

At the 2003 election, Jamahl Simmons of the UBP defeated PLP stalwart Calvin Smith 544 to 303. But in early 2007, Mr. Simmons quit the party, accusing it of having a racist clique in its ranks.

Within a few months, Mr. Simmons had joined the PLP, and he now serves as Premier Ewart Brown's press secretary.