They are a hotly contested swing constituency in the country's first free elections, scheduled for April 27.

Hispanic voters, a swing constituency that Republicans covet, abandoned the party in large numbers.

In early vote counting on 29 December, it was apparent that the PNP was winning a large number of swing constituencies.

It has also become a critical swing constituency, since it has become increasingly closer in recent years.

But Mr. Dinkins, appealing to another important swing constituency, disagreed.

You don't want a say in who runs the country and are happy to leave it to the handful of voters in swing constituencies to decide on your behalf.

The Kerry campaign sees those women as among the critical swing constituencies this season.

Mr. Green is popular among liberal and Jewish voters, both important swing constituencies that Mr. Dinkins needs to win.

Catholics, who cast 26 percent of the votes in 2000, represent probably the largest swing constituency in the nation.

For too long, both the major political parties have pandered to lazy, middle-England stereotypes of the dreaded "benefit scroungers" in order to win easy seats in swing constituencies.