KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) Leader Andrew Holness says he is in favour of a fixed election date.

Holness made the declaration late Fridaywhile responding to a follower on Twitter.

The follower, with the Twitter handle @JcSkyline, asked Holness “Fixed election date, yes or no” to which Holness replied “Yes! AH” — the ‘AH’ indicating that the question was answered directly by the Opposition leader and not by his handlers.

A user, with the handle @RudeBoyPolitics, joined the conversation, asking Holness “Why? And why now?”

In his reply to the latter follower, Holness declared that the position had been a long-standing one of the JLP.

“It was in our 2011 Manifesto. It is the best way forward for our democracy,” he continued.

The call for a fixed election date strengthened in recent weeks with the ruling People’s National Party putting the country on election alert — four years into the Administration — but has yet to signal whether it has settled on a date for this year.

The situation has caused some amount of anxiety and uncertainty with business operators, in particular, calling on Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to say definitively whether the elections will be held this year or next.

Only last Sunday at a mass rally in Portmore, St Catherine, Simpson Miller told supporters that she was waiting on a signal from God, before she sets the date — a comment that has been met with much ridicule by the public.

Constitutionally, the prime minister has until early 2017 to call the election.

Arlene Martin-Wilkins