ZAGREB, 5 Oct (Hina) – Croats now have a legitimate representative on the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on X after Darijana Filipović won Sunday’s election for the Croat seat on the body.

Plenković said he had congratulated Filipović on her “excellent campaign and convincing and deserved victory” for the Croat seat on the Presidency.

“As of tonight, the Croat people in BiH have a legitimate representative in this institution,” he said. He also said HDZ BiH and its coalition partners “have achieved an excellent result at all levels of government”, adding that Croatia remains committed to further developing close relations with BiH after a new government is formed and to supporting the Croat people in BiH.

With more than 94% of polling stations reporting, Filipović had won more than 107,000 votes, comfortably defeating Democratic Front candidate Slaven Kovačević and Zdenko Lučić, the candidate of a five-party Croat opposition coalition. HDZ BiH leader Dragan Čović said the party had also won in all BiH cantons with a Croat majority.