The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, has said that the Ulster Unionist Party may be beyond saving and that the British government should press ahead with Assembly elections in order to end the drift in the political process.
Mr Robinson called on the British government to set early elections, to accept the verdict of the electorate and thereafter to allow for new political negotiations.
"The decision to postpone the election in May was a mistake which has not even served the agenda of the government.
"It was done to assist the Ulster Unionist Party but, as has been demonstrated since, the UUP may be beyond saving," Mr Robinson said.
"Only elections can provide a mandate for negotiations, and only those who can command the support of their communities can do a deal which will stick.
The British government should accept that a substantial majority of the unionist community does not support the Belfast Agreement and that the institutions of the agreement cannot function without the support of a majority of unionists.
The government must also accept that the UUP was incapable of negotiating on behalf of unionism and delivering on a deal.
"It is time for the government to move away from the position that an election will only go ahead if an administration can be formed immediately afterwards," he said.
"This is a recipe for gridlock. It will not deliver stable government and merely gives a veto to an Ulster Unionist Party which is in complete disarray.
"An Assembly election will offer a mandate for negotiations and offer a forum from which to nominate negotiators.
"This at least would offer a positive way forward and out of the present impasse," added Mr Robinson.
"It is time for the government to face up to realities and move ahead on a basis that can deliver progress.
"Negotiations before an Assembly election designed to save the Belfast Agreement and the UUP will ultimately end in failure and will only delay progress in Northern Ireland.
"The government can either bury its head or face reality. One road leads to political stagnation, the other offers the hope of a way forward," he said.
