Iceland EU Referendum Draws 20% Early Vote as Poll Shows 50.4%-49.6% Split
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 29
Iceland EU Referendum Draws 20% Early Vote as Poll Shows 50.4%-49.6% Split
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 29
Summary
More than 20% of Icelanders voted early in Saturday’s referendum on reopening EU accession talks, with Reykjavík turnout by noon already above 2024 parliamentary-election levels.
Preliminary figures showed 13.7% turnout in Reykjavík North versus just over 10% in 2024, and just over 14% in Reykjavík South versus just over 11%, underscoring unusually strong engagement in a close race.
A final poll on Friday put the vote at 50.4% for yes and 49.6% for no, leaving the result too tight to call.
A yes vote would restart negotiations with the European Commission across 35 policy areas, though fisheries—central to Iceland’s economy and sovereignty debate—would remain a major sticking point.
The referendum revives a bid launched after Iceland’s 2009 financial crisis and suspended in 2013, with security worries after Russia’s war in Ukraine and U.S. unpredictability adding fresh weight to the choice.