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Iceland Vote Shows Narrow Support for Resuming EU Membership Talks
(MENAFN) Early results from Iceland’s referendum indicate a slim majority in favor of restarting negotiations over European Union membership, with vote counting still underway.
The latest figures show 46,589 votes, representing 50.5% of the ballots counted, supporting the resumption of accession discussions. A total of 45,682 votes, or 49.5%, were against reopening the talks.
Support varies considerably across the country. The Reykjavik North constituency recorded the strongest backing, with 59.4% supporting a return to negotiations. Opposition was greatest in the Southern constituency, where 60.1% voted against the proposal. Meanwhile, the Southwest constituency, home to about 30% of Iceland’s electorate, was almost evenly split.
The referendum campaign focused heavily on issues including living costs, national security, sovereignty and the protection of Iceland’s fishing industry.
Polling stations closed at 10 p.m. local time on Saturday after voting began at 9 a.m. Nearly 400,000 Icelandic citizens were eligible to participate.
The vote itself does not decide whether Iceland will become an EU member. If the proposal receives majority support, the government would receive a mandate to restart accession negotiations. Any agreement eventually reached would then have to be submitted to voters in another referendum before membership could proceed.
Iceland initially sought EU membership in 2009, following the collapse of its banking sector during the global financial crisis. Formal accession negotiations began the following year but were suspended in 2013 after a Eurosceptic government came to power.
In 2015, Iceland notified the EU that it no longer wanted to be treated as a candidate for membership. However, according to European officials and policy assessments, the country’s original application remains legally valid, meaning the accession process has been suspended rather than formally terminated.
The latest figures show 46,589 votes, representing 50.5% of the ballots counted, supporting the resumption of accession discussions. A total of 45,682 votes, or 49.5%, were against reopening the talks.
Support varies considerably across the country. The Reykjavik North constituency recorded the strongest backing, with 59.4% supporting a return to negotiations. Opposition was greatest in the Southern constituency, where 60.1% voted against the proposal. Meanwhile, the Southwest constituency, home to about 30% of Iceland’s electorate, was almost evenly split.
The referendum campaign focused heavily on issues including living costs, national security, sovereignty and the protection of Iceland’s fishing industry.
Polling stations closed at 10 p.m. local time on Saturday after voting began at 9 a.m. Nearly 400,000 Icelandic citizens were eligible to participate.
The vote itself does not decide whether Iceland will become an EU member. If the proposal receives majority support, the government would receive a mandate to restart accession negotiations. Any agreement eventually reached would then have to be submitted to voters in another referendum before membership could proceed.
Iceland initially sought EU membership in 2009, following the collapse of its banking sector during the global financial crisis. Formal accession negotiations began the following year but were suspended in 2013 after a Eurosceptic government came to power.
In 2015, Iceland notified the EU that it no longer wanted to be treated as a candidate for membership. However, according to European officials and policy assessments, the country’s original application remains legally valid, meaning the accession process has been suspended rather than formally terminated.
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