Sinn Féin president Mary-Lou McDonald has restated that her party is ready to form a government at Stormont as former DUP leader Peter Robinson said an executive should not be formed ahead of a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol.
The Assembly has been recalled today in a last effort to reform the powersharing Executive before a fresh election is called.
Ms McDonald said "common sense" and "good will" are needed.
Ms McDonald was speaking after former DUP leader Peter Robinson urged his party not to agree to the formation of a Stormont Executive until the issue of the Northern Ireland protocol has been resolved.
Writing on Facebook, Mr Robinson said: “Let me see, have I got this right? Sinn Féin, who refuse to sit at Westminster, are attacking the DUP for not sitting in Stormont,” Mr Robinson posted on Facebook.
“The government, who refuses to call a general election to gain a mandate, is insisting the Northern Ireland Assembly should have an election.
“The Alliance Party want to activate Stormont without the DUP, though it never wanted such an outcome when republicans stayed out of the Executive for three years.
“The media, who tell us they are the fact-checkers to ensure parties keep their manifesto promises, insist the DUP should break its manifesto commitment of awaiting the resolution of the protocol issue before entering a new Executive.
“The UUP believe the best way to remove the damage of the protocol is to work as normal with the protocol unchanged.
“The SDLP want joint authority while insisting they respect the principle of consent for constitutional change.
“The secretary of state, having been here for a few weeks, thinks he knows what unionist voters will do at the polls, though years of polling demonstrates he has got it entirely wrong.
“To my colleagues in the DUP — continue to keep your head when all about you are losing theirs. You haven’t come this far to only come this far.”
Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain today, Ms McDonald said: "The Assembly will meet today, we will invite again our unionist colleagues to come into the Executive to provide government for everyone irrespective of their political view and to make some progress and to protect people quite frankly during what will be a very difficult winter.
"If unionism will not do that then we're facing into an election. Just so as we're clear if after that election we still have this stalemate, this refusal by unionism to accept change in Ireland, but also to accept the democratic outcome of an election, and if there are no institutions, then we're not looking at a return to direct rule from London, we will in fact be looking at a partnership arrangement, and joint authority involving Dublin and the government in London."
DUP MLA Emma Little-Pengelly insisted the Northern Ireland Protocol is the barrier to reviving the Stormont Assembly.
"I think most people out there will wonder what an election will achieve. I think it is disappointing that the Secretary of State instead of working with his colleagues to try to deal with the protocol resolved, that's the barrier to getting the institutions restored, it's a barrier for good reason," she told BBC Radio Ulster.
"We've been making the case to try and get the issues resolved for three years now, that hasn't been done. Instead of getting on and doing that the Secretary of State is pushing everyone into an election."
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said it is "regrettable" that people in Northern Ireland could be facing another election.
"I don't know for sure what decision will be made by the Secretary of State," Mr Varadkar said. "It is anticipated though that there will be fresh elections in Northern Ireland, it's impossible to predict the outcome of an election.
"As things look today, the results will be much the same as it was in the last election, with no clear majority for unionist combined or nationalist combined. Probably Sinn Féin will have the largest party again. I think there will be a clear majority of MLAs, who don't want the protocol scrapped, re-elected and that has to be taken into account.
"But you can never predict for sure what's going to happen in any election. But I do regret that is happening. It is happening because one party has decided not to participate, and that's the DUP.
"I think that's very much regrettable. If that happens, we'll deal with the situation as it develops."
He added: "I would like to hear the voice of the DUP in Northern Ireland government. But that's not possible at the moment."
