Ashraf elected as new Pakistan PM

The announcement comes shortly after party officials said outgoing Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin was their leading candidate.

• Pakistan People's Party nominates Raja Pervez Ashraf
• This comes after the party nominated Makhdoom Shahabuddin
• An arrest warrant for corruption was issued for Shahabuddin shortly after he was nominated
• Ashraf has also been accused of corruption in the past

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's ruling party named a new nominee for prime minister Friday after a judge issued an arrest warrant for another candidate picked for the position.

In a televised conference, the Pakistan People's Party nominated Raja Pervez Ashraf, who until recently served as minister of information and technology.

Ashraf is viewed by some as a staunch party loyalist and a confidant of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The announcement comes shortly after party officials said outgoing Minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin was their leading candidate.

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Shahabuddin's candidacy was marred shortly after it was made public. On Thursday, a trial court issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with a drug scandal in 2010 when he served as health minister.

Last year, he resigned from his post as minister amid allegations that he accepted kickbacks while in office. The Supreme Court is hearing a case involving the allegations.

Ashraf has been accused of corruption in the past also. In 2011, he was accused of a scheme to receive kickbacks from private power companies during his post as minister of water and power.

The corruption allegations earned him the nickname "Raja Rental" among many Pakistanis.

The case was also heard by the Supreme Court and is pending, said Fawad Chaudhry, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan People's Party.

Chaudhry called the investigation "politically motivated."

The prime minister post became vacant Tuesday when the Supreme Court ruled that Yousuf Raza Gilani was ineligible to hold office.

The seven-member court declared the prime minister disqualified retroactive to April 26, the day he was convicted of contempt charges. The charges stemmed from his refusal to call on Swiss authorities to reopen old corruption charges against Zardari.

Journalists Nasir Habib and Ayza Omar contributed to this report.