Lawmakers approve Zapatero's second term

Madrid: Spanish lawmakers approved Jose Luis Zapatero as prime minister for a second term on Friday, formally handing him the challenges of a slumping economy, resurgent Basque militants and governing with no set allies in parliament.

Zapatero, whose Socialists won a general election on March 9 but fell short of an absolute majority, failed to garner enough support in parliament in a first vote this week, forcing a second-round ballot, in which the threshold for approval was lower.

Zapatero became the first political leader since Spain returned to democracy after the death of Gen Francisco Franco in 1975 to need a second vote to take power after winning an election.

The tally in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies, the lower house of parliament, was 169 votes in favour from Zapatero's party, 158 against and 23 abstentions.

All Zapatero needed was a simple majority - more "Yes" votes than "Noes" - unlike in the first vote, when an absolute majority of 176 was required to get the chamber's nod.

Colleagues in Zapatero's party stood and clapped when the speaker announced the result, then swarmed around him to shake his hand.

Zapatero will take the oath of office today before King Juan Carlos and announce his Cabinet, which will meet for the first time next week.

Zapatero will rule over a minority government forced to seek support from other parties on a case-by-case basis in order to get laws passed.

In his first four years in power, Zapatero also lacked a majority in the legislature, but then he was able to rely on support from several stable allies, mainly a small leftist party and a Catalan pro-independence grouping. The arrangement led to repeated charges from the conservative opposition that Zapatero was beholden to others, in particular the Catalans.

In the recent election, the Socialists picked up five extra seats. The thicker cushion, in addition to the accusations that last time Zapatero was not his own man, prompted the Socialists to shun any deal up front with other parties for their support and have Zapatero woo allies as he goes along. Key among these potential partners will be two mainstream Catalan and Basque nationalist parties, each with their own political agendas.