Parliament officials said Koirala won 136 votes against the minimum of 103 required in the 205-seat lower house of representatives. Forty votes were cast against him.

Nepal's constitution requires the Prime Minister to seek parliament's majority support within 30 days of appointment. Koirala, who was appointed to head a new coalition last month, repeated calls to opposition parties to join the coalition to ensure that the upcoming elections were impartial and peaceful.

In December, Nepal's 53-year-old King Birendra turned down Koirala's recommendation to dissolve parliament after a communist group withdrew its support for the Prime Minister and he lost parliamentary majority.

Koirala was reappointed under a pact with another communist party on condition that he announced elections in April, almost seven months ahead of schedule.