A snap Stormont Assembly election in December would be "diabolical" during the cost-of-living crisis, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party has said.
Doug Beattie said it would be "disgraceful" to spend millions of pounds on another poll "while our people are going cold and hungry".
It comes after Belfast Live revealed the Electoral Office is preparing for a potential election being held in December.
Read more: Arlene Foster hits out at 'intense' media coverage of Sinn Fein meeting King Charles
A letter has been sent to venues which may be used as polling stations advising that the vote "if called could be either on the 8th or 15th December 2022".
Chief electoral officer Virginia McVea said the correspondence is part of their "contingency planning" and no guidance has been received from the Northern Ireland Office on any announcement.
Stormont's power-sharing institutions have been in limbo for months with the DUP blocking their restoration in protest over Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.
If there is still no new devolved government formed by October 28, the Secretary of State will be required under legislation to call a snap election within the subsequent 12 weeks.
It means there could be a snap Assembly election by mid-January 2023 at the latest.
Mr Beattie said a fresh election "will not change the outcome" of the last poll in May, in which Sinn Féin overtook the DUP to become Stormont's largest party.
He told the BBC's Nolan Show: "I think if we have no Executive by October 28 I think there's a good chance that a snap election will be called on October 28 and we'll be going to the polls on December 8.
"And we will be going to the polls spending millions of pounds on an election while our people are going cold and hungry."
He added: "That's the way things could well play out, and I think that would be diabolical that we would be out and putting posters up and going to people's doors when people are cold and hungry. I think it would be disgraceful."
Mr Beattie there is a need to "fix" the protocol and proposed Westminster legislation to override the Irish Sea trade deal "needs to come in quickly".
But calling for a return to Stormont power-sharing, he urged political parties to "put their differences aside" and "show real courage and real leadership".
"An election will not help anybody. It will not change the outcome. I hope it doesn't happen, but there's a chance it could happen," he said.
"I think there will be a hardening of positions for many political parties. I think as soon as an election is called, people will retreat back into their trenches as we have seen previously and I don't think the outcome is going to be any different. There will be a lightning rod which will go one way or the other."
He added: "If a snap election is called on October 28 engagement between the EU and UK is likely to stop. Once again we will be in limbo and it will be the people of Northern Ireland suffers, and I can't countenance that."
SDLP Stormont leader Matthew O'Toole tweeted that a snap election "would be a profound failure and should be unthinkable in the circumstances".
TUV leader Jim Allister said he would be "somewhat surprised" if the UK government follows through with the requirement to call a fresh poll.
He added: "I think the government has a particular fear that there could be further haemorrhaging of the SDLP vote towards Sinn Féin and that might be a break on moving toward any fresh election, but that's a political judgement on my part."
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