Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president, was voted unopposed as Pakistan's new prime minister by parliament on Monday after opposition nominee Shah Mahmood Qureshi stated his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party would boycott the election and organize a walkout.

Shehbaz, 70, was the sole contender remaining in the contest following Qureshi's boycott of the National Assembly election.

In the 342-member House, the successful candidate must garner the backing of at least 172 legislators.

Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, received 174 votes, two more than the simple majority requirement of 172.

He will be Pakistan's 23rd Prime Minister.

He served three terms as chief minister of the country's most populous and politically vital province, Punjab.

Asif Ali Zardari, the former president and co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), nominated Shehbaz for the prime minister's job during a united opposition conference to replace Imran Khan via a no-confidence motion.

The process of picking a new leader of the House began on Sunday, following Prime Minister Imran Khan's removal from office following a no-confidence vote, making him the first premier in Pakistan's history to be sent home after losing the House's confidence.

Pakistan has been afflicted by political instability since its inception in 1947, with numerous regime transitions and military coups. There has never been a prime minister who served an entire five-year tenure.