Gerry Adams said tonight he hoped to achieve a power sharing government at Stormont despite the Reverend Ian Paisley's refusal to accept the Sinn Fein leader's nomination of him as Northern Ireland First Minister.
The Democratic Unionist leader flatly rejected a bid by Mr Adams to have a power sharing executive formed during a 14-minute session of the Assembly.
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Mr Paisley also turned down, outside the chamber, a proposal by Mr Adams that all the leaders of the Northern Ireland Assembly parties should take part in committees aimed at restoring devolution.
Declining the nomination inside the Assembly chamber, the North Antrim MP said: "I think it goes without saying that the reasons are well known across the province and they have been endorsed by a majority of unionist voters."
Afterwards, Mr Paisley said: "We are glad this charade is over. "We are coming down to the reality of the situation.
"Are we going to have in the Government of Northern Ireland those who are terrorists, those that condoned and even planned murders, who robbed banks, who committed criminal acts and who will not support the police?
"The answer of Ulster is no. There is no place in any government in the United Kingdom for those wedded to terrorism."
There had been little expectation ahead of today's meeting of the Assembly that a DUP First Minister and a Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister would have been elected.
Nevertheless, Mr Adams proposed Mr Paisley and Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness to head up a future power sharing administration at Stormont.
Afterwards, the West Belfast MP was philosophical.
Recalling a famous Ian Paisley speech, the Sinn Fein leader said: "No is better than never, never, never."
He continued: "We're in the business of trying to set up an executive. "Others are here to string it out and engage in distractions and in a shadow Assembly. We are totally and absolutely opposed to that.
"We have put forward a series of propositions which are all about trying to get engagement through a committee or a series of committees with a very tight focus that it has to be about the formation of an executive."
Mr Adams said Sinn Fein would return speedily to the task of trying to get First and Deputy First Ministers elected.
However he added that the DUP could only say no for a few more times and if it still refused to share power the onus was on the British and Irish Governments to implement outstanding obligations under the Good Friday Agreement.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern have given Assembly members until November 24th to elect a power sharing government.