28 February 2011
Last updated at 00:48 ET
Fine Gael is expected to start contacting potential coalition parties on Monday after its record victory in the Irish general election.
The party is on course to win about 75 seats in the new parliament – just short of enough to form a majority single party government.
It is most likely to form a coalition with Labour, who finished second in the poll.
However, it could also form a pact with some of the newly elected independents.
On Sunday Fine Gael’s director of elections Phil Hogan said: “I expect that the leader of Fine Gael will be contacting Labour and will be contacting independents as well.
“There seems to be a realisation that there are some important decisions coming up for the country in the context of EU matters.”
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said he had not been contacted by Fine Gael, but said his party would be open to discussions.
“If Fine Gael want a government for a period of five years, strong, stable that brings together the two largest parties, in what will be the closest we’re going to get in this country to essentially a national government, the Labour Party is willing to play its part in that,” Mr Gilmore said.
“But I do say that the window of opportunity for that to happen is very narrow.
“I believe that a government needs to be formed on the first day the Dail is back which is 9 March.
Irish politics
- Dominated by two parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, which emerged after Irish nationalists split over the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty
- Fianna Fail was once seen as more centrist, Fine Gael as more conservative, but differences have blurred
- The Labour Party was the traditional junior partner in coalitions until 1997
- The Green Party came into its own in 2007 when it joined Fianna Fail in coalition
- Sinn Fein, shunned by the mainstream because of its IRA connections, held nearly as many seats as the Greens in the outgoing parliament
“So really there’s about a week in which a programme for government can be put together.”
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, who is set become the next Irish prime minister, said he hoped a coalition could be agreed quickly.
“We don’t want a situation where this is going to be dragged out,” he said.
On Sunday, Mr Kenny promised to work to renegotiate the country’s crippling 85bn euro bail-out next week.
Mr Kenny also spoke with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday night.
A Downing Street spokesperson said Mr Cameron had invited Mr Kenny to Number 10.
The ruling Fianna Fail party suffered a crushing defeat in the election, with high profile casualties including deputy prime minister Mary Coughlin and tourism minister Mary Hanafin.
Thirty-four outgoing Fianna Fail TDs failed to be re-elected, while its coalition partner, the Greens, lost all six of its seats.
Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin put on a brave face and said he believed that Fine Gael had managed to secure support from floating voters.
“There’s a soft vote there for Fine Gael and Labour, just as there was for us for years,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sinn Fein has won 13 seats so far in the Irish general election, a gain of eight on its representation in the last Dail.
Party president Gerry Adams topping the poll in Louth after giving up his Westminster seat for West Belfast.
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Fine Gael to open coalition talks