The decision was made at a meeting of the Council of the Labor Party late on Wednesday, Gapšys told BNS. It was agreed that Gedvilas will resign as speaker of the Seimas and Gapšys as his first deputy. The Council also decided to delegate Graužinienė to replace Gedvilas. The latter also told BNS he had agreed with Graužinienė that he would be proposed as her first deputy.
Under the existing coalition agreement, the two positions belong to the Labor Party.
Gapšys also suspended his leadership of the Labor Party and will be replaced by Graužinienė.
"As a responsible, young, promising and civilized politician, Gapšys made his decisions to resign as a deputy speaker and suspend his party leadership. I think it's logical as the party leaders' position, in my opinion, is more important than the position of a deputy speaker, if we talk about moral aspects," Viktor Uspaskich, elder of the Labor Party's political group in the Seimas, told BNS on Wednesday.
Uspaskich also announced his decision to resign as elder of the party's political group and hand the position over to Gapšys.
According to Uspaskich, Gedvilas is resigning in solidarity with Gapšys. Moreover, Gedvilas plans to run for the European Parliament next year.
On Thursday, the Seimas was scheduled to hold a no-confidence vote against Gapšys, initiated by the opposition and motivated by the fact that Vilnius Regional Court had found Gapšys guilty of fraud and in the Labor Party's fraudulent bookkeeping case.
Gapšys was elected the first deputy speaker of the Seimas in November 2012. He has led the Labor Party since April.
