Paris: Outgoing French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Wednesday underlined in a statement the “will” among political forces to have a budget “before December 31.”

Lecornu made the remarks as President Emmanuel Macron gave him until Wednesday evening to conduct “final negotiations” on the formation of a new government.

He reiterated that “the public deficit target must be kept below 5 percent” in the next budget, specifying a range of “between 4.7 per cent and 5 per cent on a final basis”, Xinhua News Agency reported.

He met centrist and right-wing politicians on Tuesday and will continue his consultations on Wednesday with representatives of left-wing parties.

Lecornu, appointed early last month, quit Monday, a day after unveiling a cabinet lineup that was nearly identical to its

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