The president of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Serb Republic, Milan Jelic, has died of a heart attack at age 51.
The Bosnian Serb prime minister, Milorad Dodik announced Mr. Jelic's death Sunday, calling it a sad day for the republic.
Mr. Jelic was elected president of the Bosnian Serb Republic last year after previously serving as minister for economics and industrial development. He also was head of Bosnia's football association.
It is unclear who will replace Mr. Jelic at the head of the Bosnian Serb administration in Banja Luka.
The 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, which ended years of fighting in the Balkans, established a governmental system in Bosnia and Herzegovina reflecting the country's ethnic makeup. The Bosniak/Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb Republic, Republika Srpska or RS perform most governmental functions separately.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's joint, multi-ethnic government conducts foreign, diplomatic and fiscal policy.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
