The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, has survived a "no confidence" motion in the Northern Ireland Assembly by 52 votes to 26.
Three members of his Ulster Unionist Assembly party - including anti-agreement members Mr Peter Weir and Ms Pauline Armitage - were absent from the debate. All the UUP assembly members (MLAs) present, including Mr Roy Beggs jnr, voted for their leader.
Mr Trimble was also supported by SDLP members. The Sinn Fein team was largely absent. To succeed, the motion would have required cross-community support in the chamber and the DUP had admitted beforehand that it was doomed. However, Mr Trimble will be relieved that he sustained the support of his MLAs. Proposing the motion, DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson said no other figure in history had done as much to damage the Union.
Mr Robinson ridiculed the First Minister for claiming that the agreement, as implemented, was "not the agreement he signed up to. . . . That is why people cannot have confidence in this First Minister. He doesn't even know what he signed up to."
Mr Trimble accused DUP members of "bare-faced hypocrisy" as they were now sharing power with Sinn Fein.
SDLP MLA Mr Eddie McGrady said the DUP was "on a destructive course with no alternative and no hope". Alliance deputy leader Mr Seamus Close said: "The DUP motive is to destroy the Northern Ireland Executive, to destroy the Assembly, to destroy the voice of the people who put us all here and thus to destroy the voice of democracy."
Ms Monica McWilliams of the Women's Coalition criticised anti-agreement MLAs for constantly saying "No". "How sick do we have to get in this chamber of listening to this endless little tiny word again and again and again?"
UK Unionist leader, Mr Bob McCartney, said it was "extremely difficult, very tiring and sometimes wounding to say `No' but you say `No' because you believe there are certain things it is dangerous to say `Yes' to."
Meanwhile, Mr Trimble has expressed hope that his internal critics will consider the future very carefully. He said he was delighted by last weekend's UUP annual conference.
"I hope people were listening very carefully and they reflect on what was between the lines as well as what was on the lines."