A leading Ulster Unionist has accused the DUP of not having had the "bottle" to stay in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Belfast Agreement.
Having proposed Mr David Trimble and the SDLP's Mr Mark Durkan for the posts of First and Deputy First Minister, Sir Reg Empey got embroiled in a heated exchange with DUP MLAs after accusing them of "hypocrisy".
"The fact is they have had the bottle to come to 2,000 committee meetings in this chamber, they have had the bottle to stay in office and keep the seats warm for their two ministers. If you believe a system is tarnished nobody is forcing you to be here," he said.
Direct rule did not bring the benefits enjoyed by the people of Northern Ireland today such as peace and the lowest unemployment rate in generations, Sir Reg said. "It is certainly my belief that the people of Northern Ireland want to see this government prove itself."
Seconding the proposal of Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan as First and Deputy First Ministers, the SDLP's Mr Seamus Mallon said underneath the noises made by anti-agreement unionists there was a recognition that devolution was here to stay.
He had been disturbed by the "unseemly" behaviour displayed in the chamber in recent days which did not resemble a comedy but a "tragedy and a farce". He hoped the appointments would restore urgently needed dignity and decorum.
Sinn FΘin's Education Minister, Mr Martin McGuinness, described anti-agreement unionists as "comedians" but insisted that those supporting the agreement would have the "last laugh". The IRA's decision to decommission had been the DUP's "worst nightmare".
"When this week is out, we will elect David Trimble as First Minister and Mark Durkan as Deputy First Minister. I hope as a result of our efforts, for the sake of our people, for the sake of our children, that this peace process will at long last fly."
Defending his party's decision to redesignate a number of its MLAs as unionists in support of Mr Trimble, Alliance leader Mr David Ford said a system that could be used by a tiny minority to hijack all progress had to be changed. "There is absolutely no doubt that the stability of the institutions of government rests on now proceeding to elect a First and Deputy First Minister. And the stability of Northern Ireland as an entity rests on that.
"I am not in the least bit interested in the personal future of David Trimble and Mark Durkan but I am interested in the welfare of the people of Northern Ireland."