RUV reports 99,037 votes against vs. 89,459 in favor

'No' camp surges outside Reykjavik to overturn early lead

Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Saturday. [Yonhap]
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Reykjavik, Iceland, on Saturday. [Yonhap]

Icelanders voted against resuming negotiations to join the European Union in a closely contested referendum held Saturday.

With counting nearly complete as of 5:09 p.m. Sunday (local time), Iceland's public broadcaster RUV reported that 52.5 percent — 99,037 votes — opposed resuming EU accession talks, while 47.5 percent, or 89,459 votes, were in favor. Spoiled and blank ballots numbered 229, accounting for 0.9 percent of the total. The "yes" camp held a slight lead early in the count, but the tide turned as more votes were tallied and the gap widened steadily. While the "yes" side prevailed in northern and southern Reykjavik with 57.5 percent and 54.5 percent respectively, constituencies outside the capital — including the south, northwest and northeast — swung heavily against, with the "no" vote exceeding 60 percent and ultimately deciding the outcome.

With only one southwestern constituency still to report, RUV said it appeared unlikely that the "yes" camp could reverse the gap, adding that Iceland had "clearly voted to reject the resumption of EU accession negotiations."

RUV reported that, with the final count from one southwestern constituency still pending as of 5:09 p.m. Sunday (local time), the "no" side led with 52.5 percent (99,037 votes) against 47.5 percent (89,459 votes) in favor, with 229 spoiled or blank ballots making up 0.9 percent of the total. The broadcaster said it appeared the "yes" camp could not close the gap in the remaining district, and that Iceland had "clearly voted to reject the resumption of EU accession negotiations."

The "yes" side held a narrow lead early in the count, but the "no" camp pulled ahead as counting progressed and the margin grew. Support for EU membership was strongest in northern and southern Reykjavik, at 57.5 percent and 54.5 percent respectively, while constituencies outside the capital — in the south, northwest and northeast — voted against by more than 60 percent, tilting the overall result.

About 270,000 eligible voters took part in Saturday's referendum. More than 57,000 people — over 20 percent of the electorate — cast early votes, and election authorities had anticipated a record-high turnout.

Pre-vote polling had been split. A Gallup survey released Saturday showed 51.6 percent opposed and 48.4 percent in favor, while an earlier Maskina poll pointed the other way, with 51.3 percent in favor and 48.4 percent against.

Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009, the year after its devastating financial crisis, and entered accession talks. The process stalled in 2013 when a government skeptical of EU membership took office, and Iceland formally withdrew its application in 2015.

Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir, whose party supports EU membership, led the push for the referendum. Proponents argued that Iceland needs the security umbrella of the EU given rapidly shifting global conditions — including the war in Ukraine and repeated statements by US President Donald Trump about controlling Greenland. Iceland lies roughly 290 kilometers from Greenland, and Trump's remarks on the territory have repeatedly stoked security anxieties in the country.

Opponents countered that EU membership would threaten Iceland's sovereignty and fishing rights. A central argument against joining was that membership would bring Iceland under the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, potentially opening Icelandic waters to vessels from other member states such as Spain and the Netherlands.

Iceland's EU debate has come full circle again: the country applied for membership in 2009, suspended negotiations in 2013, formally withdrew its application in 2015, and has now voted against resuming talks in 2026.


psj@heraldcorp.com