MEP Vilija Blinkevičiūtė was elected the new leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) in a direct vote that ended on Sunday.
According to preliminary results released by the party, Blinkevičiūtė, a former social security minister, received approximately 56 percent of the vote while her rival, MEP Juozas Olekas, got 44 percent.
More than 7,900 party members cast their votes in the election.
The party’s commission in charge of the chairperson election will endorse the final result of the vote on May 14. The chairperson-elect will take up her duties on May 29, the day of the upcoming party’s congress.
Blinkevičiūtė, a lawyer by training, spent many years working in the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, including eight years as the minister.
She has been a member of the LSDP since 2006 and its deputy chairwoman since 2009.
She has been a member of the European Parliament since 2009.
In January, MP Gintautas Paluckas resigned as social democratic leader following criticism over the party’s poor performance in the recent general elections.
The LSDP is the largest party in Lithuania, with over 16,500 members. It has 13 seats in the Lithuanian parliament, Seimas.
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