Sinn Féin has launched a major initiative to reform the Six County political institutions, arguing that the North’s political structures must be made more “stable” after years of collapse, deadlock and dysfunction.

The party’s proposals, published under the title ‘Building Better Politics’, are designed to ensure that the Stormont Assembly and Executive can continue operating during political crises. At the centre of the plan is a proposal to remove the ability of any single party to effectively shut down devolved government in Belfast.

The document comes amid growing frustration with the operation of the institutions and a wider debate about whether the partitionist Assembly, established under the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, is capable of ever functioning effectively. Pressure has been increasing from some nationalist quarters for the devolution project to be abandoned.

However, the Sinn Féin proposals have already received support from the cross-community Alliance Party and the nationalist SDLP. Unionists have reacted warily, particularly the DUP, while some republicans have argued that the focus should be on reunification rather than any attempt to reform partition.

Launching the reform bid at Stormont, First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the objective was to remove the “ever-present threat of collapse” which has repeatedly undermined public confidence in power-sharing.

Reiterating Sinn Féin’s commitment to Irish unity, Ms O’Neill argued that reforming existing institutions remains necessary.

“I think our unusual, and some might also say abnormal, political infrastructure are the necessary product of the peace process,” she said.

The Sinn Féin proposals state that “no single party should have the power to block or collapse the Assembly” and argue that repeated collapses have ‘frustrated progress’ and denied people effective government.

Under the plan, the largest nationalist and unionist parties would retain the first opportunity to nominate a First Minister and deputy First Minister. However, if either party declined to nominate, the right would pass to another party, preventing the Executive from being left unable to form.

Sinn Féin is also proposing changes to the election of the Assembly Speaker, the introduction of greater transparency around decisions made by the Speaker’s office, the normalisation of the appointment of the Justice Minister through the D’Hondt process and the devolution of additional fiscal powers.

According to the party, the reforms would have an “immediate stabilising and normalising impact” on political institutions.

The reform drive follows years of turbulence and crisis at Stormont since the institutions were set up under the Good Friday Agreement. Devolution has experienced prolonged periods of collapse and suspension, while political disputes have repeatedly delayed legislation, blocked policy initiatives and fuelled wider arguments about whether the current structures remain fit for purpose.

Only days before the publication of the reform proposals, Sinn Féin accused the DUP of preventing legislation intended to benefit workers from progressing from the Executive to the Assembly.

The proposed legislation has been described by Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald as the biggest overhaul of employment law since the Good Friday Agreement. Measures include restrictions on zero-hour contracts, enhanced family leave provisions and strengthened trade union rights.

DUP Assembly members have been blocking the legislation, even though two months ago, Assembly members awarded themselves a 27 per cent pay rise.

In recent weeks, Sinn Féin representatives have also criticised the handling of housing policy, the long-running failure to implement an Irish language strategy and the lack of accountability within government institutions.

Sinn Féin has accepted that institutional reform alone cannot solve the problems facing Stormont. Referring to the DUP, Ms O’Neill admitted this week that the changes “won’t overcome the reality that there are those who simply don’t want to share power”.