Mr David Trimble's future as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party hangs in the balance this morning as he faces yet another Ulster Unionist Council confrontation with his chief internal opponent, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson.
This is the 13th time since the Belfast Agreement was signed five years ago that Mr Trimble has been forced to defend his leadership and his policies.
Both his and Mr Donaldson's supporters acknowledged last night that it was too close to call who would win today's critical showdown.
Both sides conceded that how Sir Reg Empey, a former chief ally of Mr Trimble and now a potential candidate to take his leadership, votes and speaks at the Ulster Unionist Council today could be a crucial determinant in whether Mr Trimble can in the longer term remain as UUP leader.
Sir Reg was maintaining his silence last night on the issue of the future leadership of the UUP.
However, his supporters continued to argue that the former Assembly minister was the only compromise candidate who could unite the two polarised wings of the party.
It would only take 30 or 40 of the 860 or so members of the UUC to swing their votes to Mr Donaldson to raise a large question mark over whether Mr Trimble can remain as party leader.
In the last June UUC meeting Mr Trimble won by 54 per cent to 46 per cent in an effective leadership challenge from Mr Donaldson.
Since then, however, a significant body of pro-Belfast Agreement Ulster Unionists previously loyal to Mr Trimble have been pushing the so-called Empey-Donaldson "dream ticket" alternative to Mr Trimble.
This envisages Sir Reg taking over from Mr Trimble, with Mr Donaldson as his deputy.
However the Lagan Valley MP would be in position to take over the leadership when Sir Reg resigns down the line.
Hitherto the Donaldson camp has dismissed such a proposal.
It has claimed that Sir Reg would be unacceptable because he was so closely identified with the policies of Mr Trimble.
Over the summer and in recent weeks the Donaldson and Empey blocs have been meeting to see if they could reconcile any differences, real or perceived, over policy matters.
Mr Donaldson and Sir Reg met on Thursday, and last night Mr Donaldson said these discussions on policy would continue.
He said the talks were not touching on the leadership.
It is obvious, however, that if they can agree policy then it could be possible to establish a leadership pact.
Previously the Donaldson camp has also stated that Mr Donaldson would not stand aside for Sir Reg in any battle for the leadership.
Supporters of Sir Reg equally have stated that because Mr Donaldson is partly responsible for the divisions in the party he must be prepared to accept being deputy leader in order to "mend fences" before making his future pitch for the leadership of the party.
Today's UUC motion demands that the UUP lift the threat of disciplinary action against the three dissident MPs who resigned the party whip at Westminster. The three are Mr Donaldson, the Rev Martin Smyth and Mr David Burnside.
Mr Trimble has tabled his own amendment regretting that decision by the MPs, and urging them to resume the whip and accept the decisions of the UUC.
If Mr Trimble is to resist the challenge from Mr Donaldson, now possibly allied with Sir Reg, he must persuade the UUC delegates that he is the only leader who can achieve political progress in Northern Ireland.
It is a point he has been making consistently all this week to Ulster Unionists.
"If you want to see the underlying project of stabilising Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, of bringing peace and democracy here, then I would say to you this is your best prospect.
"Indeed, I would suggest to you there is no other," he said.
Mr Trimble today must also persuade delegates that such are the inconsistencies in the positions of the so-called Donaldson-Empey "dream ticket" that it could never unite the Ulster Unionist Party.
His position was made more difficult by Lord Kilclooney (formerly the MP Mr John Taylor) yesterday who said he would vote against taking disciplinary action against the three MPs.
Mr Trimble attempted to dismiss this intervention by stating that such acts were "typical" of the former Strangford MP.
Irrespective of today's result, it is expected that Ulster Unionist Council delegates will return for another meeting in the short- to mid-term to decide who should lead the party - Mr Trimble, Sir Reg or Mr Donaldson.
