Bosnian Serb strongman thanks Trump and Putin after party’s election win

Milorad Dodik, the former president of Bosnia's Serb statelet, declared his party had retained power in the entity and its seat on the shared presidency after preliminary results showed a drop in turnout for Bosnia's general elections. This was the first major declaration for a multitude of positions to be decided in the complex election system that has held the partitioned Balkan nation together since the 1995 peace deal.

Dodik's Serb nationalists campaigned on a platform of increased autonomy and secessionist rhetoric. In a speech to supporters in Banja Luka, he thanked Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin for their "magnificent victory," but declared they were now "political winners" in the post-election environment. Dodik, not on the ballot due to a conviction for overstepping his powers and a six-year ban from the presidency, remains a central figure in the Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska.

According to electoral officials, 95% of ballots had been counted, with his candidate, Zeljka Cvijanovic, on track to retain her spot on the presidency, while incumbent Denis Becirovic, a Bosniak, and Croat nationalist candidate Darijana Filipovic were also leading in their respective races. Dodik's party is projected to maintain control in the entity's parliament and local presidency by a wide margin.

The Dayton Agreement, which ended the 1992-1995 conflict, established Bosnia as two semi-autonomous entities - the Serb-run RS and a Muslim-Croat federation - linked by a weak central government. The major parties' continued focus on war-era ethnic division rhetoric frustrated some voters seeking economic solutions in one of Europe's poorest countries.

Low voter turnout, around 42%, was attributed to technical issues, but no major incidents were reported.