TALKS aimed at restoring devolution will intensify today in a bid to find agreement ahead of Monday's deadline.
It also looks likely the negotiations will continue tomorrow, with senior representatives from both governments planning to spend the weekend in Belfast.
One source close to the process even suggested that a resolution could be found by tomorrow evening, well ahead of Monday afternoon when the assembly must nominate a first and deputy first minister.
If the executive's two top posts are not filled, legislation dictates that Secretary of State James Brokenshire must call another election within a 'reasonable time'.
Bilateral meetings between the parties continued yesterday, even though many senior representatives were in Derry attending Martin McGuinness's funeral.
The discussions are scheduled to continue into this evening before reconvening in the morning.
Alliance representatives are likely to miss most of tomorrow's sessions, as the party's annual conference takes place in the nearby Stormont Hotel.
On Wednesday, Gerry Adams said Sinn Féin would not accept an extension of Monday's deadline.
He said the party believed the negotiations were about "an implementation process" and that a "continuous negotiation and re-negotiation of agreements already made" was not acceptable.
One of the SDLP's negotiating team last night said Mr McGuinness's funeral had cast a shadow over yesterday's talks but that despite the "difficult circumstances", the discussions between parties continued.
North Belfast MLA Nicola Mallon said she was in little doubt that the former deputy first minister would have wanted to see the institutions restored.
"The SDLP remains willing and committed to doing all that we can to find political agreement and see the establishment of an executive based on genuine power sharing," Ms Mallon said.
"We are prepared to work up to the wire to resolve the challenges facing us. We’ll continue talking to other parties and to both governments, but what is needed is for everyone involved to get around the one table to close the gaps that exist over the course of the coming days and over the weekend."
She said it was possible to break the impasse "if the political will exists to achieve it but it will require significant work".
An Irish government source told The Irish News that the two governments were optimistic that agreement was possible as early as tomorrow.
"We need the process to intensify and for the participants to show a genuine will to make it work but we're hopeful a deal can be done," the source said.
