Ulster Unionists have placed the onus for progress in the coming weeks firmly on republicans, describing the suspension of the North's institutions as the "least worst option".
The UUP deputy leader, Lord Kilclooney - formerly Mr John Taylor - said it was not up to his party to make any moves during the coming six-week review period.
"It is not up to us to do anything with that time, but to the IRA," he said. "I recognise that there has been some movement on decommissioning and I hope that we can develop on that. We are quite happy to be engaged in power-sharing with people from all traditions but we cannot continue in government with a party which is allied to an organisation that is still holding on to illegal arms.
"Personally, I was in favour of an election so that people could have the opportunity to pinpoint the guilty people and isolate Sinn Fein. Let's make no mistake about it - there is only one stumbling block and that is the failure of the IRA to decommission that has led to this situation tonight." The anti-agreement UUP MP for Lagan Valley, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, said the suspension was really of little significance. "No matter how long they [the British government] suspend for, the issues will not go away. At the heart of this crisis is the failure by both loyalists and republicans to honour their commitments under the Belfast Agreement.
"What needs to happen is the actual decommissioning of IRA weapons - the sooner the better."
Mr Donaldson claimed the impasse could be resolved within a very short time if republicans showed the political will. "This suspension changes nothing. The ball is firmly in the court of republicans. If they have the political will this crisis could be resolved in six hours rather than six weeks."
The UUP chairman, Mr James Cooper, said it was an "absolute disgrace" that the entire democratic process was "held to ransom by republican intransigence".
He added: "We have made it clear to the [British] government that the unionist community is not prepared to give indefinite support to the participation of Sinn Fein in the Executive without a start to decommissioning by the IRA."
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said an election would have been his preferred option as he was "a man of the people".
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, said the Northern Secretary had "wantonly abused the law" by suspending the institutions. The review was "not a serious attempt to resolve issues but rather a cynical device to deny the electorate the opportunity to have its say as Parliament had decided it should.
"This desperate attempt by the Secretary of State will fail and eventually he will be forced to have the renegotiation [of the Belfast Agreement] which the unionist people require," he added.
A DUP Assembly member, Mr Ian Paisley jnr, described the suspension as a "dog's dinner" and an "admission of failure" by the British government. "The [British] government are running away from elections," he said. "They are frightened of the people's verdict."