LONDON (AP) -- London's comic and outspoken mayor Boris Johnson won reelection Friday, triumphing in a closer-than-expected vote to secure a second term and his status as the unvarnished and unpredictable host of the 2012 Olympics.

Johnson's victory, in election results confirmed late Friday, was a bright spot on a rough day for his colleagues in Prime Minister David Cameron's governing Conservative Party, who took a drubbing in local elections.

Voters stripped both the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats -- the junior partner in Britain's coalition government -- of hundreds of local authority seats, punishing the government for biting austerity measures and Britain's stalled economy.

But the Conservatives could take some solace when it was announced that Johnson -- known best for his shock of blond hair and sometimes shocking foul-mouthed outbursts -- had eked out a win against the opposition Labour Party's Ken Livingstone and earned the privilege of leading London into the global spotlight when the Summer Games begin on July 27.

In his victory speech at City Hall after hours of waiting for results, Johnson did not mention the Conservatives' dismal showing in local elections and instead thanked those who voted for him during the “long and grueling” campaign.

“I want to thank all of you for giving me a new chance and a new mandate to take us forward,” Johnson said, pledging to continue “fighting for a good deal for Londoners.”

He also somewhat sarcastically described Livingstone -- his predecessor as mayor -- as one of the “most creative and most original” left-wing politicians he'd seen -- a reference to the at-times bitter exchanges between the two candidates.