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Siniša Karan, a close ally of Milorad Dodik, the ousted president of Bosnia's Republika Srpska, has won the snap presidential election in a close race with the opposition candidate a day earlier.
Karan won 50.89% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced before midnight by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
His opponent from the Serbian Democratic Party, Branko Blanuša, won 47.81 percent of the vote.
He thanked voters and praised the result as a sign of support for his predecessor Dodik's confrontational course against the united state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and against the West.
"The Serbian people and the Republika Srpska can endure anything. But they can never endure the humiliations inflicted by foreigners who believe they can destroy the will of the Serbian people. The Serbian people have now given a firm answer: They say no to every usurper who takes power. They decide their own fate," Karan said in his victory speech.
Early elections in Republika Srpska (RS) - one of Bosnia's two semi-autonomous entities, alongside the Bosniak-Croat federation - mean the winner will serve for less than a year, until general elections in October 2026.
The elections are seen as a crucial test of support for Dodik's nationalist party, which has been in power for nearly two decades.
Milorad Dodik resigned after being sentenced by the Court of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a six-year ban on holding public office.
Dodik has pursued a separatist policy, signed illegal laws in Republika Srpska, and regularly ignored the national institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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