Caretaker French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu struck a cautiously optimistic tone on Wednesday, saying a deal could potentially be reached on the country’s budget by year-end, making the risk of a snap election more remote.

Lecornu’s remarks came as he was set to wrap up talks on Wednesday with various parties and report back to President Emmanuel Macron on whether he has found a way to end France’s worst political crisis in decades.

“There is a willingness to have a budget for France before December 31 of this year,” Lecornu told reporters after meetings on Tuesday with conservatives and centre-right parties, and before meeting the Socialist Party.

“And this willingness creates momentum and convergence, obviously, which distances the prospects of dissolution (of parliament),” he sa

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