Pakistan's new ruling alliance took control of the lower house of parliament on Saturday after electing former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf as the 22nd speaker of the National Assembly.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf took oath as the 22nd Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Reuters reported, citing a Twitter account run by the staff of Pakistan's lower house of parliament.

The development came after the opposition's joint candidate Shahbaz Sharif was elected as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Monday.

On March 28, the opposition parties presented a no-confidence motion against the former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly and Khan lost the no-confidence vote on April 10.

The new speaker is a former prime minister who belongs to the Pakistan Peoples Party, part of the new ruling alliance. He was elected unopposed in the absence of Khan's party, which resigned en masse from the house on Monday.

Sharif is expected to name his cabinet in the coming days with a number of policy challenges facing the new government, in particular dealing with an economy in deep trouble. 

(With input from agencies)

(Cover: File photo of Raja Pervez Ashraf. /Reuters)