KATHMANDU: Nepal's parliament elected Sushil Koirala as prime minister on Monday, raising hopes of ending a prolonged political crisis and finally restoring stability to the war-torn Himalayan nation.

Koirala, 75, the president of the country's largest and oldest party, won a majority of votes cast in the constituent assembly.

“Sushil Koirala has secured 405 of 553 votes cast at the election today. Therefore, Koirala has secured a majority of votes of the members of the parliament,” said its speaker Surya Bahadur Thapa.

Koirala's election is expected to pave the way for the formation of a new coalition government, breaking months of deadlock following elections in November last year.

The vote came after his Nepali Congress party secured backing from the rival Unified Marxist-Leninist party for Monday's vote, after negotiations about a power-sharing agreement over the weekend.