The new speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly tonight expressed her hope that the parties would be able to have a fully-functioning Stormont this year.
Former Alliance Party deputy leader Eileen Bell, who will become the first woman speaker of a parliamentary body in Northern Ireland on May 15th, said she was honoured to have been appointed to the new role by the Government.
"I will be the first woman Speaker in Northern Ireland," she said. "Obviously former House of Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd broke new ground and she is a very good example of what I would hope to achieve.
"I am very privileged to be in this role and I will work with all my colleagues to ensure the Assembly runs successfully." Mrs Bell was a member of the last Assembly and was re-elected in 2003 in the constituency of North Down.
A former civil servant and Peace People activist, she became deputy leader of the cross community Alliance Party in June 2001 and recently stood down to make way for East Belfast MLA Naomi Long.
Northern Ireland's 108 Assembly members will be recalled to Stormont on May 15th and given six weeks to form a power-sharing government.
Mrs Bell said she remained cautiously optimistic that she would preside over a functioning Assembly and executive, even though the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists and the Ulster Unionists have been unable to go into an administration with Sinn Fein.
"If you have been elected to serve the people of Northern Ireland, you know that the only way to think is upwards and not down," she said.
"The parties have been given a chance and I hope the parties take the chance to serve their constituents."
If an executive is not elected before this summer, the British and Irish governments are expected to try one more time but have told the politicians the deadline of November 24th for a second bid to secure power sharing will be the last.