Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and seven other ministers each won between 278 and 280 votes, surviving the poll by a comfortable margin as the PPP's coalition partners stuck to their guns.
The PPP alone controls about 220 seats in the 480-seat House, and 22 of its Cabinet ministers abstained from voting.
Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama was the sole minister to receive 278 'yes' votes; the others received 279 or 280. Mr Samak received 280.
The vote followed three days of intense debate, broadcast live on TV and radio, as the opposition Democrat Party flayed the targeted ministers on a range of issues from mismanagement of the economy to compromising national sovereignty - and even at one point suggesting that Mr Samak was medically unfit to lead the country.
Surviving the vote, however, amounts to winning just one battle in what promises to be a drawn out struggle, as groups opposed to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra continue their efforts to block any possibility of his return to power.
Significantly, the Democrat Party targeted only ministers from the PPP, not the party's coalition partners, in a clear attempt to isolate the PPP.
While the tactic did not work, the censure debate has still left the PPP bruised, and most analysts believe a Cabinet reshuffle is very likely - and that Mr Noppadon may be dropped altogether.
Minutes before the vote commenced, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters: 'If they survive in the voting session, a Cabinet reshuffle is likely to happen, because the Premier admitted himself that some ministers' performances show they do not fit the jobs.'
Pressure on the government will continue on three fronts: From street protests mounted by pressure group the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD); in Parliament; and in the half-elected, half-appointed Senate.
Writing in the Bangkok Post yesterday, director of Chulalongkon University's Institute of Strategic and International Studies Thitinan Pongsudhirak said: 'Even if (Samak) manages a significant Cabinet reshuffle and more responsive policy measures, (he) will still be pressed by the PAD and its anti-government allies in Parliament.
'His endgame will be drawn out, but its denouement is likely weeks away. The key now is not whether he will be forced out well before his term ends, but how Mr Samak intends to leave the stage.
'Foremost in his mind should be a transition that is within parliamentary and constitutional boundaries, not the detour and shortcut the PAD is demanding.'
HAPPY END: Thai Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee (left) and Mr Samak smiling as the results of the vote is delivered. -- PHOTO: AFP