Premier Andrew Furey all but eliminated the possibility of a fall election yesterday, saying he has no intention of calling one.

But in the absence of a firm yes or no, the Opposition continues to speculate that the governing Liberals may be planning to drop the writ before Christmas.

The Opposition could’ve forced that to happen by voting against the budget yesterday, but it passed easily and unanimously, with some other procedural votes still to come.

The government line has been that it will abide by the legislation which calls for an election to be called between now and next August. But Furey was a little more definitive with his answer outside the House of Assembly yesterday.

He reiterated that he has no intention of calling an election this fall but added it’s not entirely up to him, given the fact he’s leading a minority government. Furey noted it’s the Opposition parties that keep bringing it up, not him.