Pakistani lawmakers in lower house of parliament have elected former cricketer Imran Khan as the new prime minister on Friday.
According to speaker of the parliament Asad Qaiser, Khan received a total of 176 votes in the 342 seat while his opponent
Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), received a total of 96 votes.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party won the July 25 election but needs support from independents and smaller parties because it does not have enough seats in parliament to form a majority government.
During the campaigns, Khan was seen as the favoured candidate of the “powerful” military, which was accused of meddling against his rivals.
Three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was ousted from office in 2017 over corruption allegations. He was jailed in the lead-up to the vote, and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, led the PML-N party into the election.
Opposition parties have claimed elements of the elections were rigged, but they agreed to take their seats in the assembly.
Following Khan’s successful election, three major opposition parties formed alliance to nominate Shahbaz Sharif as a joint candidate in a bid to thwart Khan.