KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Debates Commission (JDC) says it is fully prepared to host the highly anticipated leaders debate between Prime Minister and Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) leader Dr Andrew Holness and People’s National Party (PNP) President Mark Golding.

The 90-minute debate, scheduled for Thursday at 9:00 pm, will be staged at the Creative Productions and Training Centre (CPTC) studios in Kingston.

It marks the culmination of the three-part General Election Debates 2025 series, which featured team debates on social issues last Saturday and the economy on Tuesday.

For the leaders debate, Holness and Golding will face questions from journalists Dionne Jackson-Miller of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group and Giovanni Dennis of CVM Television, as well as queries submitted by the public via social media.

The discussion will be moderated by Archibald Gordon of TVJ, with Amoy Harriott of CVM TV serving as social media editor.

In keeping with its accessibility standards, the JDC has confirmed that two sign language interpreters from the deaf community will provide services during the debate.

Chairman Brian Schmidt expressed gratitude to Jane Litchmore-Grant, a veteran interpreter formerly of the Jamaica Association of the Deaf, for stepping in at short notice to assist during Tuesday’s debate on the economy.

Litchmore-Grant, who previously worked with the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation and Television Jamaica, ensured the deaf community had access to the discussion.

The earlier debates featured more than 20 questions covering a wide range of topics, including economic growth strategies, taxation, wage negotiations, health, education, the environment, and public access to beaches.

The JDC has been staging national political debates since 2002.