Sharif Formally Elected PM of Pakistan

Overwhelming majority of Assembly votes

Pakistan's National Assembly on Wednesday formally chose Nawaz Sharif as prime minister, capping a celebratory and historic transfer of a power in a country roiled by decades of turmoil and facing immediate economic challenges.

Sharif, 63, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, was elected with an overwhelming majority, capturing 244 of the 294 ballots cast. The vote, held in the grand Parliament House in the capital, represented a rare moment of unity in Pakistan, with even members of several rival parties saying they want to give Sharif space to form a strong government.

Sharif hailed it as a defining occasion in the country's 65-year history, marking the first peaceful transition from one democratically elected government to another.