Sinn Féin has accused the DUP of "punishing the public" after the party blocked the restoration of Stormont for a second time.
But the DUP dismissed the recall of the Assembly on Monday as a "stunt" and reiterated its demand for action over Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.
There were heated exchanges as MLAs clashed in the chamber over the DUP refusing to elect a new Speaker to allow the Assembly to start functioning again.
Read more: No agreement on Stormont Assembly offices plan three weeks after election
The two nominations for the role, the UUP's Mike Nesbitt and the SDLP's Patsy McGlone, failed to secure the necessary cross-community support from MLAs.
The sitting, which followed a recall petition brought by Sinn Féin, was then suspended as further Assembly business cannot be conducted without a Speaker.
Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill said her party would "keep coming back" with recall petitions in a bid to elect a new Speaker.
"We will come back again, we will do this again, because I’m not giving up. I believe in making this institution work," she told media in the Great Hall.
"The DUP are punishing the public. It is the public who are missing out. It is the public who are being held to ransom because of their actions."
Earlier DUP MLA Paul Givan said the recall, which was backed by Alliance and the SDLP, was not a "serious attempt" to restore power-sharing.
He told MLAs: "Today’s recall is another attempt at majority rule and has no credibility when it comes forward from the party that kept these institutions down for three years.
"The public will see the hypocrisy for what it is from Sinn Féin.
"This isn’t a serious attempt to restore the principles of power-sharing and these institutions. It is a stunt."
Sinn Féin's Conor Murphy defended his party collapsing the Executive in 2017 following the RHI controversy, saying that the DUP had walked away from an agreement to restore power-sharing a year later.
The Finance Minister said the DUP's "MP team had scuppered the deal by rallying round the Orange Order, the UDA and all the others to spook the horses".
His comments in the chamber prompted shouts of objection from the DUP benches as they called for his remarks to be withdrawn.
Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister dismissed claims that the recall of the Assembly was a stunt, saying the only stunt pulled in recent weeks was the DUP blocking the restoration of the institutions.
"I spoke as a newly elected MLA because I want to get on with the job that I’ve been elected to do," she said.
"That's not only to establish an Executive but to actually scrutinise the work of the departments.
"We need to get on with the work so that we can help people in Northern Ireland that are currently facing hardship.
"Any consequence from now, from the day that the DUP walked away from the Executive, any hardships that people are facing are on the heads of the DUP.
"Whether that’s people who cannot afford to feed their children or heat their homes, those are the decisions of the DUP that are affecting the people of Northern Ireland."
UUP deputy leader Robbie Butler said they wanted all-party talks to begin on a programme for government.
He told MLAs: "The UUP have written today to the head of the civil service to convene all-party talks to establish a programme for government and the minister for finance to reopen the public consultation on the budget.
"These are measures which should be done now to restore the confidence of the people of Northern Ireland that we all purport to serve."
The SDLP's Matthew O'Toole branded the DUP's actions as "unconscionable" and "abhorrent".
The South Belfast representative said the number of MLAs who support the Protocol increased in the recent Assembly election.
He asked MLAs: "Why is the DUP holding the people of Northern Ireland to hostage?
"They say it is all about the Protocol. The Protocol is an international treaty signed between the UK and the European Union.
"The number of MLAs who support the Protocol went up in the last election."
Read more: Suspended Green Party election candidate charged with assault
Read more: No agreement on Stormont Assembly offices plan three weeks after election
For the latest politics news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
