PARIS — France is at a critical juncture due to uncertainty over the country's budget and the future of the government, Finance Minister Antoine Armand said on Tuesday (Dec 2).

Expectations that Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government will collapse this week have hit the stock and bond markets of France, the euro zone's second-biggest economy, which is under pressure due to its rising deficit.

"The country is at a turning point," Armand told France 2 TV, adding politicians had a responsibility "not to plunge the country into uncertainty" with a no-confidence vote.

Barnier is due to address television news programmes around 7pm GMT (3am SGT), and is expected to face no-confidence motions on Wednesday, or possibly Thursday.

Barring a last-minute surprise, his fragile coalition will be the first French government to be forced out by a no-confidence vote since 1962.

A government collapse would leave a hole at the heart of Europe, with Germany also in election mode, weeks ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump re-entering the White House.

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