United Bermuda Party

The United Bermuda Party (UBP) is a political party in Bermuda. It describes itself as centrist, saying it supports a moderate social and fiscal agenda.

History

The United Bermuda Party was founded on 21 August, 1964, by 24 members of Bermuda's Parliament, following the formation of the Progressive Labour Party. Sir Henry Tucker was the leader of the new party. In 1968 the UBP formed the first Government under Bermuda’s new Constitution and universal adult suffrage, winning 30 of the 40 seats. Tucker was appointed Bermuda’s first Government Leader.

From 1964 until 1998 the UBP had a string of 8 straight electoral victories. Following the first, the party held 30 seats in Parliament. The 1970s saw the UBP majority in Parliament decline as the PLP grew in popularity. This trend stopped following the appointment of Sir John Swan as Premier on 15 January, 1982. Under Swan's leadership, the second black man to lead the party, the UBP control of Parliament strengthened through the elections of 1983 and 1985 (where it reached an all-time high of 31 seats), though this reversal ended in 1989.

Recent history

The 1990s were a troubling time for the party as the PLP gained in popularity. By 1993 the UBP held 22 seats in Parliament. In 1995, Swan held a referendum on independence, which was soundly defeated. He promised to resign if the measure was defeated as a sign of his support for the issue, and kept his word. He was replaced by MP Dr. David Saul, who was soon replaced by Pamela Gordon, Bermuda's youngest Premier, and the first woman to hold the office.

In 1998 the PLP finally defeated the UBP. This marked the first time in over 30 years that the UBP was not in power. In the subsequent election (24 July, 2003), the party won 48.0% of popular votes and 14 out of 36 seats under the leadership of Dr. Grant Gibbons. In January 2006, Gibbons was replaced when Wayne Furbert was unanimously selected as the new party leader. On 3 April, 2007, Michael Dunkley replaced Wayne Furbert as leader of the opposition. Following the loss of his seat in the December, 2007, elections, Dunkley was replaced as opposition leader by Kim Swan. [cite news |author=Ruth O'Kelly-Lynch |title=Swan elected new UBP leader |work=The Royal Gazette |date=2008-01-21 |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d81abb30030000&sectionId=60 |accessdate=2008-01-26] The deputy leader is Cole Simons. [cite news |author=Matthew Taylor |title=Cole Simons named UBP deputy leader |work=The Royal Gazette |date=2008-01-25 |url=http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d81cb730030004&sectionId=60 |accessdate=2008-01-26]

Leaders of the United Bermuda Party

Platform

The United Bermuda Party's core objectives are:
# To promote Bermuda's social, moral, economic and political welfare.
# To develop Bermuda's unity and understanding.
# The ensure freedom and opportunity.
# To enforce the rights granted by the Bermuda Constitution.
# To maintain economic and political stability under a free market economy.
# To provide a sound, responsible and democratic government.

References

External links

* [http://www.ubp.bm/ Official website]