ARLENE Foster is trying to keep politics "in the gutter", SDLP leader Colum Eastwood has claimed.
Mr Eastwood accused the DUP leader of trying to degrade the election campaign and "scaremongering" about the future make up of the Executive Office.
"Politics here has been brought to the gutter under the weight of a government dogged by scandal and secrecy. Arlene Foster is now attempting to keep it in the gutter," he said.
"Scaremongering about Sinn Féin in the Executive Office, denigrating the Irish language, describing republicans as crocodiles, or rogues and renegades. These are tactics right out of the pre-powersharing DUP playbook. It's little wonder then that the only notable voice of support for Arlene Foster is a UDA leader."
Mr Eastwood said a "positive" relationship between nationalists and unionists was possible.
"Power sharing between a coalition of the willing rather than a cabal of the coerced can unlock our politics and break down the log jams that have held our society back," he said.
