Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said he expects the membership of all three parties involved in government talks to sign off on whatever deal is struck in the coming weeks.

He was speaking as negotiating teams aim to find agreement on a number of policies today – with some of the more controversial issues to be dealt with later in the week.

On The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Mr Ahern said he expect a new government to be in place this month.

“As I understand it, over the weekend, they were drafting most of the papers and most of the issues,” he said.

“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 of formed.

“It seems realistic that a government will be formed in the month of June and I think that will happen.”

Postal ballot

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 the deal to be accepted.

“I am not saying these things are ever easy but I don’t see any difficulties,” he said. “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.”

Leadership

He said he expects Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to become Taoiseach for the first period, with Leo Varadkar to return to the job at a later point.

“It is not going to be easy but the country needs a government,” he said. “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.”

He said he would be “amazed” if there were not people within all three parties preparing for their own punt at leadership.

“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,” he said.

“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.

“Even across the water with Boris with his 87 seats, he is only in a few months you can see few people shaping up already so that’s the order of politics and we shouldn’t be surprised at that.”