A vote of no confidence in the government has failed after just 34 deputies backed it. The opposition had hoped for far wider support in its attempt to bring down the Reform Party-led cabinet. Instead, the motion went down by a wide margin, and the government survived. Opposition parties moved fast to accuse the Social Democrats of effectively propping up the Reform Party's administration by refusing to withdraw their backing. From their point of view, the low vote for the motion showed that the Social Democrats had put coalition stability ahead of principle. The government emerges from the episode with its position confirmed for now. The clash is likely to harden relations between the political blocs heading into the next round of parliamentary battles.