The three main political parties in Cornwall will be locked in discussion over the next few weeks to determine the future of the council after the election produced no clear winner.
A major decline in the Conservative vote saw the party's number of seats fall from 50 at the last election to just 31, five behind the Liberal Democrats on 36 and the Independents on 35.
In an election where none of the county's larger parties made major gains, the surprise victors were UKIP and Labour, who both secured six seats after winning none last time out.
The Green Party won its first seat in St Ives East, while the Cornish party Mebyon Kernow picked up four seats.
But the future of the council will be determined by posturing in coming weeks with it likely a decision is reached before the council meets at the end of this month.
However, the failure of the last Conservative-Independent coalition council, underlined by former Tory leader Alec Robertson losing his Helston North seat, has seen all three group leaders declare their wariness of making a decision too hastily.
Jeremy Rowe, leader of the Liberal Democrats, who held on to his St Issey and St Tudy seat by 601 votes to the Independent Emma Hambly's 526, said it was important the group took its time before making a decision.
He said: "The split result we have been given is a clear signal from Cornish voters that they want us to work together and talk together.
"I don't think we can really rule anything out. It's important we speak to everybody. I think its important we don't rush in to it. You cant have a quick fix, that was the experience of the last council. I think we need to take our time and make sure we do the right thing for Cornwall.
"We need something in place before the first meeting but there is no reason why we shouldn't take those two weeks to make a decision."
His deputy Alex Folkes hinted at an Independent coalition but said it was important that all the Liberal Democrat councillors discuss which way they want to go.
He said: "Historically in Cornwall it has always been Liberal Democrat versus Conservative, but I don't want to speak for the group."
Independent leader John Wood said the group's apolitical stance was one of the reasons behind its good performance and that it would make a decision in coming days over the best way forward. He said: "The groups need to figure out the best way forward for Cornwall."
Of the three main political parties from the last council the Conservatives suffered the heaviest losses. Despite edging the lion's share of the vote with 24% to the Liberal Democrats 23% and Independent's 21%, they can now boast only the third highest amount of councillors.
Tory group leader Fiona Ferguson said the party is most likely to decide its future at its Annual General Meeting on May 7 but that lessons have to be learned from the last council.
She said: "I don't think we have a specific position. I think its important we act together with a united voice. We were not united, where we had this role and the leader was permanent for four years that caused people to talk in an executive way. I think we need to act in a united fashion this time. I don't want to specify where we might go, obviously in national government we are in coalition with the Liberal Democrats so you could well say there's some sense in that but the in the past (they) have not been receptive to that."
