Fife Council will continue into next week without a ruling administration as talks between the SNP and Labour continue.
The SNP is now the largest party in Fife with 29 seats, five more than Labour, but does not have an overall majority.
The two parties have been locked in negotiations since the election result last Friday in a bid to find a way to work together.
But it could be Tuesday or Wednesday before it is known who will run the local authority.
Fife SNP depute leader Karen Marjoram said: “As the largest party in Fife, the SNP has been in talks with Labour and other parties all this week.
“We have been making progress with the Labour group in seeing where we have similar aims and whether there is a way we can work together for the benefit of the people of Fife.”
Ms Marjoram confirmed the talks would continue into next week and added: “We hope to have a way forward agreed in time for the first meeting of Fife Council on May 18.”
Labour leader David Ross said there had been suggestions about how the two parties could possibly work together but said any moves would have to be agreed by the Labour group and the party in Fife.
“At this stage I can’t say whether that would be acceptable,” he said.
Mr Ross said that even if an agreement was reached, it would be on the proviso that Labour was “very much opposed to a second Indy Ref and still very critical of some of the failures of the Scotttish Government.”
He added: “Having said that, there is still some common ground we can work on in the council if we can put those national issues aside.”
Meanwhile, the Conservative group have called for all the political parties in Fife to come together as a way of ending division in the kingdom.
Leader Dave Dempsey said: “The public tell us that they’d like us to put aside party squabbling and work together to make a better Fife.
“The voters have made it impossible for one party to run the council and political considerations make it very unlikely that any two can join forces against the others.”
Mr Dempsey said there was now an opportunity to put aside the negative ideas of administration and opposition and all work together.”
