THE DEMOCRATIC Unionist Party's ruling executive has unanimously elected Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds as leader and deputy leader designate. They were elected when the ruling body backed a single motion of nomination.
The pair will formally take up their new party positions next month when the Rev Ian Paisley stands down after the special US-Northern Ireland investment conference which is being held in Belfast.
Following a short meeting last night, the 82-year-old leader of the party stood between his heirs on the steps of Castlereagh council headquarters to endorse publicly their election.
"There are greater days ahead for our party," he said. "I believe we are going to see great things."
"Work has to be done and will be done and we will reap the solid harvest of a good sowing."
Mr Robinson, currently finance minister, paid tribute to his party leader, claiming the party was now larger than any other. "Anybody who thought the party would now change its policy because it was changing its leader will be disappointed. The DUP is going to stick to its policy. Why? Because the policies we have have been mandated by the Northern Ireland community." He looked to better days ahead for his party and for the country, he said.
"Ian has brought this country through the most difficult of times. But we have now come out of those difficulties and we now have a province which has great hope and opportunity. It is up to a new leadership to harness the advantages that have been hard won to ensure that the Northern Ireland of the future is one where our young people will be proud to live in and grow up in."
Mr Dodds said he was greatly honoured and grateful at the election. "We are conscious of the great responsibility that has been placed on our shoulders but I am confident that we will maintain the great principles upon which this party was founded." History alone would reveal the "true debt of gratitude that unionism owes to Ian Paisley", he said.
"We already know what he has accomplished and I know there are many tens of thousands of unionists who are grateful for what he has achieved." Looking to next month's US investment conference, Mr Robinson was asked for his reaction to claims that any inward investment from New York's pension funds would be subject to the MacBride Principles on fair employment.
"I think the MacBride Principles are something from a past generation," he said. "When people look at how Northern Ireland operates and at the employment practices that we have they will see they are of the highest standard. I don't think that anyone looking at Northern Ireland will see anything wrong with the employment patterns." He said Northern Ireland already had the lowest unemployment rates anywhere in the UK or Ireland. His task was to improve the standard of jobs and make even better jobs available to the local community.