Fine Gael leader Simon Harris has said there will be no snap election and that he intends this Government to run its full term.
Mr Harris said people will not be "turning on the telly to see if the leader of Fine Gael is about to announce an election".
At the opening of his party's Ard Fheis in Galway, he said: "I am very clear in relation to mature, responsible leadership and that means that this Government intends to go full term.
"It is, I think, the shared aspiration of the three party leaders, and I think it is what the people expect particularly after the events of recent weeks where we are now going to see a change of Taoiseach."
He said "there will be an election. People want an election, we will absolutely have an election around next March and they will have an opportunity to give their say".
Ahead of his leaders’ address tomorrow evening, he said he will be speaking to people who already vote for Fine Gael.
"I will be thanking them, and I will be committing to redoubling our efforts and our work," he said.
He will also be speaking to the people who used to vote for Fine Gael "I will be asking them to consider coming back to us," he said.
For those people "the jury is out and they want to see what I am going to do for them," he said.
Mr Harris also said he wants the future funding model for RTÉ settled before the summer recess. He said he has an "open mind".
Mr Harris said he understands there are concerns about an exchequer funding model, but that he would not like to see a situation where the TV license is increased.
"I do believe a better collection model is possible," he said.
There are no plans for a second Finance Bill or a mini-budget, Mr Harris said.
The Fine Gael leader said the successful management of the public finances means the Government can respond to situations as they arise and there are real pressures currently on small businesses.
Mr Harris who is expected to be elected as Taoiseach in the Dáil on Tuesday, said there are a number of areas he wants to prioritise.
"People in the farming community want to see that Fine Gael has their back, there are small businesses who want to see that Fine Gael are on their side, and I think a number of families want to better understand what we are going to do about childcare and the cost of living."
The party will run 330 candidates in the forthcoming local elections. In 2019 it won 255 seats but he would not say what the target would be this time.
"The important thing for Fine Gael to turn things around is that sense of self belief and energy. This is a party that is fighting fit," he said.
Ahead of an anticipated Cabinet reshuffle, he said he recognises that this is a time of "tension" and that while some people will be people who will be delighted next week and there will be people who feel a sense of personal disappointment.
"Cabinet reshuffles are both lonely and difficult," he said. "There will be people who are rightly delighted next week and there will be people who feel personal and disappointed. But politics isn't about any one of us.
"We are here to do the people’s work and people are around long enough and know long enough how politics works. There are some people who get an opportunity this time and some people who get an opportunity in the future. That is the reality of it."
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty has accused independent TDs of "rescuing" Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and the Green Party.
Mr Doherty predicted that there would be "nothing new" from Mr Harris as Taoiseach and reiterated Sinn Féin's call for a general election.
The party will not nominate Mary Lou McDonald as Taoiseach on Tuesday, insisting that a general election was required instead.
