France’s finance minister suggested that a cornerstone of the European economy might need help from the International Monetary Fund if a political and debt crisis were not addressed.

The prospect that France's minority government could collapse soon triggered a sharp selloff in French stocks and bonds on Tuesday, pushing political risks from the euro zone's second biggest economy back to the forefront of investors' minds.

France’s prime minister has called a vote of confidence next month, putting his minority government at risk and the country on the brink of another political crisis.