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Pakistani lawmakers elect Imran Khan as new prime minister

Pakistani lawmakers elect Imran Khan as new prime minister

By REUTERS

FILE PHOTO: Labourers, who set up the venue, sit under a wall with a billboard displaying a photo of Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), political party, as they listen to him during a campaign rally ahead of general elections in Karachi, Pakistan July 22, 2018. Photo: Reuters

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers in Pakistan's lower house of parliament elected former cricket legend Imran Khan as the country's new prime minister on Friday, paving the way for him to form a coalition government. Khan received 176 votes in the 342-seat National Assembly, said Asad Qaiser, the speaker of the parliament. Rival candidate, Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), garnered 96 votes. Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party swept to power in the July 25 election but will need support from independents and smaller parties because it does not have enough seats in parliament to form a majority government.