Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has accused Stormont opponents of being "addicted to crisis and conflict" and "simply not up to the job of actually governing".
She said the public have had enough of the "constant dramas and the political soap operas" and want politicians "focused on finding solutions".
Speaking at her party conference in Belfast, Mrs Long said electing more Alliance MLAs would "secure reform of the Assembly" and "ensure no one party can hold progress to ransom".
Read more: Stormont response to war in Ukraine 'hamstrung' by lack of Executive, says Naomi Long
Last month the DUP pulled Paul Givan out of the First Minister post in protest against Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol, forcing the resignation of Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill as Deputy First Minister.
Other ministers remain in place but they can only make some limited decisions as the full five-party Executive cannot meet.
Mrs Long said: "We're emerging from a pandemic, fighting a battle against climate change, facing a cost-of-living crisis and there's a war on our doorstep in eastern Europe.
"This is not the time to walk away from government - this is time to lead in government."
The Justice Minister said reforming and rebuilding the health service and tackling cost-of-living pressures are the main concerns for her party.
The East Belfast MLA added: "With so much important work to do, it is hard to fathom how we are again without an Executive only two years after restoration.
"It seems that some politicians are addicted to crisis and conflict, and simply not up to the job of actually governing.
"People have had enough of the constant dramas and the political soap operas. They want politicians who don't just identify more problems – or worse still, add to them – but who are focused on finding solutions, on making things better."
Addressing the party conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, she said "together we can deliver a bigger Alliance Team" in the Assembly election in May.
"A team that will not just deliver more and better, one that ensures that together, we can secure reform of the Assembly, move away from binary politics that seeks to divide people and ensure no one party can hold progress to ransom."
On Brexit and Irish Sea trade issues under the Protocol, Mrs Long said her party has continued to "focus on solutions".
The Alliance leader said the UK leaving the European Union continues to "destabilise" relations between London and Brussels and at Stormont.
Mrs Long hit out at Prime Minister Boris Johnson's "bluster" and "unkept promises" in how the UK government has handled Brexit.
She said it remained surprising that some continue to "put their faith in a man and a party which with such consistency throws them under the bus".
She added: "Indeed, some parties have spent so much time under the bus over the last few years, you would be forgiven for mistaking them for Translink mechanics."
Mrs Long criticised the DUP's opposition to her MLA colleague Kellie Armstrong's proposed legislation aimed at promoting integrated education.
The DUP is seeking support for a Petition of Concern in a bid to block the Integrated Education Bill, claiming the proposed law would force Stormont to "prioritise one sector over all others".
Mrs Long said the bill was not about giving integrated education an advantage but instead to "level the playing field".
She said it was "depressing that there is still such hostility to educating children together in 2022".
Mrs Long added: "It’s almost as though some people fear what will happen if the barriers in our community are broken down and people realise just how much they have in common - that together, we can achieve so much more than apart."
The Alliance leader also welcomed an "unprecedented" growth of her party, saying there were more than 300 new members last year.
Read more: Stormont response to war in Ukraine 'hamstrung' by lack of Executive, says Naomi Long
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