Ireland’s centrist political parties struck a deal to form a coalition government, backed by a handful of unaligned lawmakers, after weeks of negotiations, according to the Irish Times.

Ireland's two major centre-right parties finalised a coalition deal with independent lawmakers on Wednesday that will return Micheal Martin as prime minister and continue the previous government's high spending economic policy.

Ireland has moved a step closer to forming a new government. Irish media says a deal was reached Tuesday between Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Regional Independent Group to form a government a month and a half after the election gave no party a majority of seats needed to control parliament.

Talks between Ireland's two historically dominant centre-right parties and independent lawmakers have reached agreement that will give a new coalition government a "comfortable majority," a negotiator for one of the parties said on Wednesday.