By IRNA
Islamabad : Makhdoom Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani was sworn in as Pakistan’s new Prime Minister on Tuesday.
President Pervez Musharraf administered the oath to Gillani at a ceremony at the Presidency in Islamabad.
Gillani was elected on Monday as Pakistan’s 24th Prime Minister with 264 votes in the 342-seat National Assembly, while his rival Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, a nominee by President Pervez Musharraf’s backed opposition parties bagged only 42 votes.
The oath taking ceremony was attended by the army Chief General Ashfaq Kayani, diplomats, caretaker Prime Minister, members of the caretaker cabinet, judges and senior officials.
Leaders of the incoming the ruling coalition did not attend the ceremony.
Slogans in favour Benazir Bhutto were chanted soon after the oath was administered.
Gillani started his political career in 1978 after the death of his father Makhdoom Alamdar Hussain Gillani.
Gillani had been the Speaker of the National Assembly during the second government of Benazir Bhutto from October 17, 1993 to February 16, 1997.
He is considered very close to Asiaf Zardari as he had been close to Benazir Bhutto.
Gillani, who belongs to Multan in Punjab, Pakistan’s political heartland, is currently the Vice President of the Peoples Party.
Gillani was born on June 9th 1952 in Karachi, according to his family.
He has been elected various times as Member of the National Assembly from Multan.
He was also elected MP on February 18, 2008.
Gillani was arrested in Feb 2001 over charges of misuse of authority as a speaker.
He was released in 2005 from four years in jail.
He wrote a book while in prison and the book was well received across the country.
He contested in 1985 for the National Assembly and had won in a party-less elections and had served as a minister in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Muhammad Khan Junejo (84-87).
He was again elected on a PPP ticket in 1988.
Accordingly, he served in the Benazir cabinet as Housing and Works minister.