Mazuronis has won the election against another contender Member of Parliament Arturas Paulauskas. Mazuronis received 613, whereas Paulauskas 264 votes.
Mazuronis thanked chapters of the party who put him forward and voted for him. He said he understood the challenges and responsibility of being the chair of the biggest political party in Lithuania.
"I will speak about the future because that is what we must focus on. Our objective is to perceive and agree on our common goal – victory in the 2016 parliamentary election. We must understand that today we are at the crossroads. If we opt for the usual path, do what we have done until now, then we will meet failure at the end of the road. However the second path is full of obstacles, we will have to sail against the wind. We will have to exert much effort, but this is the path of possibilities and victory is at its end. () After 2016 we may and must become the strongest political force in Lithuania. We must create a strong and well-oiled team. () Our future possibilities to participate in elections depend on the results achieved in 2016. We must show already today that we are doing what is necessary and we must do even more," said Mazuronis.
The Labour Party's chairperson is elected for a two-year term of office. The party had been without one since Parliament Speaker Loreta Grauziniene resigned as the Labour Party chair in mid-March. MP Valentinas Bukauskas was appointed as interim chair.
14 candidates were put forward to contend for the chairperson's position. These include: the founder of the Labour Party Viktor Uspaskikh, Social Security and Labour Minister Algimanta Pabedinskiene, Education and Science Minister Audrone Pitreniene, Agriculture Minister Virginija Baltraitiene, MPs Saulius Bucevicius, Valentinas Bukauskas, Kestutis Dauksys, Vytautas Gapsys, Vydas Gedvilas, Arturas Paulauskas, Mecislovas Zasciurinskas, MEP Valentinas Mazuronis, former MP and former deputy mayor of Vilnius Jonas Pinskus and his wife Zivile Pinskuviene.
The congress also approved 12 deputy chairs and governing bodies of the party. Deputy Chairs are: Virginija Baltraitiene, Valentinas Bukauskas, Kestutis Dauksys, Vytautas Gapsys, Vydas Gedvilas, Viktoras Fiodorovas, Ieva Kacinskaite-Urboniene, Giedrius Mozuraitis, Arturas Paulauskas, Valdas Skarbalius, Darius Ulickas and Gediminas Vagnorius. Vytautas Gapsys has been named First Deputy Chair.
