Mongolia names new prime minister

Both sides accused each other of voting irregularities

Mongolia's parliament has named a new prime minister, ending two months of deadlock following disputed elections.

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of the Democratic Coalition was appointed after agreeing to share power with the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP).

The former prime minister and chairman of the MPRP, Nambaryn Enkhbayar, was named as speaker of the Great Hural parliament earlier this week.

Both parties had accused each other of cheating in June's vote.

Following the election, the MPRP and former opposition Democratic Coalition held separate parliamentary sessions.

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The Democratic Coalition won 36 out of 76 seats in parliament, dealing a stunning blow to the governing former communist MPRP which held all but four seats in the previous assembly.

Correspondents say the bitterly disputed outcome of the vote reflected the fact that the Democrats surpassed their most optimistic predictions.

The winners of two seats remain undecided, and election officials have called for votes to be recast.

It will be only the second Democrat administration after decades of rule by MPRP.

Mr Elbegdorj, 41, who obtained a Masters degree from Harvard University in the US, was briefly prime minister for eight months in 1998.