Shevardnadze stopped short of resigning himself

Four candidates had put themselves forward for the job previously held by Zurab Zhvania, who resigned amid last week's political upheaval when President Eduard Shevardnadze sacked his entire cabinet.

The post is the most important political position in the country after the president's.

Ms Burdzhanadze won the backing of six factions which oppose the president, and was elected by 129 votes to 98 in the 240-deputy chamber.

Popularity slump

Mr Shevardnadze took the decision to dismiss the government after security forces made a bungled attempt to raid the offices of an outspoken independent television station, Rustavi-2.

The TV company is highly critical of Mr Shevardnadze�s policies and accuses the government of doing little to stop the country's rampant corruption.

Large crowds of protesters gathered outside Georgia's parliament following the attempted raid, calling for Mr Shevardnadze to resign.

They said they feared for the freedom of the media in Georgia.

But the president stopped short of stepping down himself.

Mr Shevardnadze, who was elected as president in 1995, is credited with creating a fragile peace in Georgia after the civil wars that broke out following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

But in recent years his popularity has been on the wane as Georgia struggles to improve one of the poorest economies of the former Soviet republics.