The deputy leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael will met this evening to begin talks about the formation of the next Government.
Fianna Fáil's Jack Chambers and his Fine Gael counterpart Helen McEntee will head up their respective negotiation teams when they meet later today.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris will continue to meet with independent TDs after holding talks with Meath East's Gillian Toole and Galway East's Sean Canney yesterday.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin will met with Labour's Ivana Bacik at lunchtime.
Elsewhere, the Social Democrats are holding a meeting of its parliamentary party today as they attempt to formulate the party's next moves.
However, at this stage, it appears as if Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are aiming for a deal with independent TDs, instead of a coalition with Labour or the Social Democrats.
It is understood that Sinn Féin willl meet with other parties as the week continues.
Micheál Martin and Simon Harris, Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ieYesterday, a member of Fine Gael's negotiating team, Deputy John Cummins, told Newstalk Breakfast the focus of the party's negotiation talks will be on policies.
"We have to ensure that there will be a Fine Gael stamp on the future Government, and that's what we'll be trying to ensure in terms of any negotiations," he said.
Deputy Cummins said ministerial positions for potential coalition partners or constituency concessions is "not something that will form parts of [their] discussions".
He also said that it is "hard to tell" how long the negotiation process will take.
Despite all the major movements from the parties, it is still expected that it could be mid-January before any coalition will take power.
Feature image shows a split of Jack Chambers and Helen McEntee, Leah Farrell/RollingNews
Additional reporting by Sarah McKenna Barry
