Spain ? Spain’s Socialist prime minister won re-election Sunday, as voters dismissed worries about a slumping economy, immigration and resurgent Basque militants to hand him a second term.

The results were a clear endorsement of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s record, which includes reforms such as legalizing gay marriage and granting on-demand divorce, once thought unthinkable in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country.

Zapatero also withdrew Spanish troops from Iraq and launched a drive to cede more power to Spain’s semiautonomous regions.

“The Spanish people have spoken clearly and decided to start a new era,” Zapatero told euphoric supporters outside the party’s headquarters in Madrid. “I will govern with a firm but open hand.”