Liberal senator Alex Antic has been elected president of the South Australian Liberal Party.

The right-wing backbencher, who has praised members of One Nation and repeatedly crossed the floor against the Coalition, defeated SA Upper House leader Nicola Centofanti in a ballot of Liberal Party delegates on Saturday morning.

He has previously vowed to give Liberal members a "genuine say in the policy direction" of the party.

State president is an internal role roughly equivalent to chair of a company board, overseeing campaign preparations and setting meeting agendas.

They are also entitled to a seat on the party's federal executive alongside Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and federal Liberal president Tony Abbott.

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