Raja Pervez Ashraf ascended to Prime Minister of Pakistan on Friday after lawmakers approved his nomination in a majority vote in parliament. Ashraf, 61, a former minister and staunch loyalist of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, replaces Yousuf Raza Gilani, who was ousted by a Supreme Court ruling earlier in the week. The lower house of parliament voted 211-89 in favor of Ashraf, a confidant of President Asif Ali Zardari who until recently served as minister of information and technology, according to a report of CNN.
