France’s outgoing Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has expressed optimism that the ongoing political crisis in the country can be resolved without holding new elections.
Lecornu said on Wednesday that there was a shared determination among political parties to pass the national budget before the end of the year.
“This desire naturally creates momentum and a rapprochement that makes the prospect of dissolving parliament seem very remote,” he said.
President Emmanuel Macron has tasked Lecornu, who resigned on Monday, with conducting final consultations with party leaders by Wednesday evening to find a solution to the impasse.
Lecornu said he was confident of success, describing the crisis as “a time of responsibility” that required constructive compromise.
He added that he would hold discussions with parties from the political left—excluding the far-left France Unbowed movement—to determine their demands and potential areas for concession.
The caretaker prime minister noted that the left-wing parties also supported the goal of approving the budget before the end of the year.
Lecornu, who assumed office just four weeks ago, stepped down on Monday, deepening the political uncertainty amid growing concerns about France’s rising debt levels. His proposed Cabinet, presented a day earlier, had faced opposition from conservative politicians.
(NAN)