In brushing aside speculation in recent weeks that an early general election or local government election could be on the horizon, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared that his focus is on ensuring that vulnerable Jamaicans start to feel the positive effects of the current economic stability.

Holness, who was speaking at a housing and land town hall meeting at Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St James on Thursday, said his call for people not to give up hope, despite their present circumstances, is not based on any plan to call an election. 

"I hear everybody talking about elections all of a sudden. We're a democracy. When elections are due, they're due, but we must not postpone and defer and interrupt our progress for elections," Holness insisted.

Earlier this month, Holness signalled the Government's commitment to holding the long-overdue local government elections, which is constitutionally due by February 2024, barring any exogenous shocks or weather events affecting the country.

In recent weeks, the political landscape in Jamaica has been heating up, with the Opposition People's National Party (PNP) selecting several candidates as standard-bearers for constituencies ahead of the national polls due by 2025, and the banter between both political parties has equally been rising. 

Holness said on Thursday that the process surrounding elections must be "routine, short, orderly, and seamless", and "then you get back to business".