The Independent North Tipperary TD, Mr Michael Lowry, has indicated he may support a Fianna Fβil-led coalition government after the next election.
In an interview in the Nenagh Guardian he said that while he would like to be in a position to support Fine Gael, his former party, "that support would be contingent on negotiating a package in the best interests of the people of North Tipperary".
"In the event of Fine Gael not being in a position to lead a government, I would have an obligation and a responsibility to look at other options, including the option of supporting an alternative government," he said.
He predicted that Mr Michael Noonan's leadership of Fine Gael would not survive if the party failed to be part of a government following the next election.
Last May Mr Noonan said the former Fine Gael minister "will not be back in Fine Gael for so long as I am leader".
Mr Lowry said: "Fine Gael have made statements in relation to their position. All I can say is after the next general election, should Fine Gael be in a position to form a government, they will be damn glad of my vote."
He also said some decisions he made in his private business life in good faith had been a mistake for which he had paid a high price.
"My departure from Fine Gael came about not because of any political wrongdoing but because of my commercial agreement with Ben Dunne" he said.