Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern expects a new government to be in place this month with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin in charge.
Mr Ahern believes teething issues will be ironed out soon and that a deal between Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Green Party will be accepted.
He said: “As I understand it, over the weekend, they were drafting most of the papers and most of the issues.
“I don’t think it matters whether it is this Friday or not. I think once it is by somewhere mid-month, maybe into the third week of this month that a government is formed.
“It seems realistic that a government will be formed in the month of June and I think that will happen.
“I am not saying these things are ever easy but I don’t see any difficulties.
“I don’t see why any of the parties would go against their leadership or their negotiating teams.
“In fairness to the negotiating teams, they have worked hard on this now for weeks if not months through the pandemic and I honestly believe that if there is a government document put before them, they will support it.
“Two-thirds is always difficult but I do think the leaderships of all the parties will ask and their negotiating teams will ask and they will get it.”
Government formation talks continued on Tuesday with negotiating teams aiming to come to an agreement on a number of policies.
Any deal will have to get the approval of the memberships of all three parties – with the Green Party requiring a two-thirds consensus to get it over the line.
Mr Ahern said he expects Micheál Martin to become Taoiseach for the first period with Leo Varadkar taking over the reigns at a later point.
And said he would be “amazed” if people in all three parties were not eyeing up the chance at leadership.
He told Pat Kenny on Newstalk: “It is not going to be easy but the country needs a government.
“It needs a stable government; it needs a strong Government it needs one that is going to last four-plus years, hopefully five and I think that is what the people want.
“In any political party, there will always be people who are trying to line themselves up and, whether that is for two-and-half years’ time or five years’ time, I would be amazed if there are not a number of people in Fianna Fáil who fancy themselves.
“I would say there could be a fair few in Fine Gael too and we know in the Greens that they already have one so that’s politics.”
