The Northern Ireland Assembly was unable to elect a new president after the DUP said it would not support the process.
The decentralized administration is now unable to function after last week’s elections, which saw Sinn Fein emerges as the biggest party for the first time.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the DUP, said his party’s refusal was part of a protest against the Northern Ireland protocol.
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He said he is sending a “clear message” to the EU and UK government about resolving problems with the post-Brexit trade deal.
The Sinn Fein leader said she will meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson when she travels to Northern Ireland on Monday.
Michelle O’Neill said she would tell him to stop pandering to the DUP.
He also accused Sir Jeffrey of “denying democracy” and said his action “is not tolerable, it is not acceptable, it is not good enough”.
He said that the DUP has “punished the electorate” and that “the public deserves better.”
Naomi Long, leader of the Alliance Party, said she was “appalled” by the DUP’s behaviour.
“Despite the fact that the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland voted for parties who wanted to return to government, who wanted to see the Assembly function, and despite the fact that even those who voted for the DUP did not give them a mandate to block a return to the Assembly, today we have found ourselves in that situation,” he said.
“But while this is a sad day for the people of Northern Ireland, it is a shameful day for the DUP.”
DUP: ‘We need decisive action’
The DUP has also said it will refuse to nominate for the post of deputy prime minister, which would block the formation of a new executive.
The newly elected Prime Minister cannot take office without the DUP nominating a Deputy Prime Minister.
Under Northern Ireland’s delegated power-sharing system, both roles are equal and one cannot be in office without the other.
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The 90 MLAs elected last week had met for the first time since the election in Stormont, where two candidates were nominated for president: Mike Nesbitt of the UUP and Patsy McGlone of the SDLP.
None received the necessary support.
Sir Jeffrey said it was time for Johnson to outline what he intended to do to advance negotiations with the EU.
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What is power sharing and why is it used in Northern Ireland?
“I think we need to send a very clear message to the European Union and to our government that we are serious about solving this protocol, because of the damage it is causing, undermining political stability, damaging the agreements that have formed the basis of progress. political success in Northern Ireland, to our economy, contributing to the cost of living crisis, this issue needs to be addressed,” he said.
“While others sit idly by, we are not prepared to do that. We need the government to take decisive action.”
Unionists such as the DUP oppose the protocol, arguing that the Irish Sea border threatens Northern Ireland’s place in the UK.
The two main nationalist parties, Sinn Fein and SDLP, support it as it prevents a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Reference-news.sky.com