Voters in Whitehorse Centre can expect a Christmas byelection after Premier Dennis Fentie said he will visit the commissioner as early as this week to make the request.

"In the coming days, I will be visiting the commissioner and asking her to drop the writ,” Fentie told the Star this morning.

If Fentie goes to Commissioner Geraldine Van Bibber on Friday, voters in the downtown riding would get to select their MLA on Dec. 13.

Fentie's announcement, made on the heels of the ruling Yukon Party's fall convention on Saturday, ends speculation on whether he would forego the byelection and call an early general election.

In a late October interview with the Star, Fentie did not rule out a snap election, as early as before Christmas.

But today, Fentie, who also serves as Finance minister, said that this March he would present his fifth budget since the Yukon Party was re-elected in 2006, suggesting that his majority government would ride out its mandate that will expire Oct. 14, 2011.

The premier said there was little talk at the fall convention about a snap election, and more focus on election preparedness in the wake of the party's spring leadership contest.

"I put great merit and value in leadership races. They're good for the grass roots of the party and drives interest across the territory,” said Fentie.

At the Yukon Party's April 2010 convention, Fentie staved off a leadership review by promising to hold one this coming spring.

But today, Fentie would not commit to defending his leadership at the party's spring convention nor answer questions on his desire to lead the Yukon Party into the next election.

The territory's Elections Act gives the premier until Jan. 21, 2011 to call the byelection for the downtown riding, which has sat vacant since the July 28 death of Todd Hardy, the former NDP leader and MLA for Whitehorse Centre.

The NDP's current leader, Liz Hanson, who will run for election in the Whitehorse Centre riding, had hoped Fentie would fill the vacant seat before the fall sitting of the legislative assembly, which will end Tuesday.

"But I'm looking forward to getting going; hopefully, (the premier) will call it on a Friday,” said Hanson. "It's past due, but better now than delayed until January.”

Kirk Cameron is the Yukon Liberal Party's candidate for the downtown seat. The Yukon Party will pick its candidate on Wednesday.

Fentie, who turned 60 today, will be the longest-serving premier of all provinces and territories in the federation after the B.C. Liberal Party chooses a successor to outgoing Premier Gordon Campbell.

Last week, Campbell, elected as B.C. premier in 2001, announced he would step down as premier and leader of the B.C. Liberal Party.