Voting has closed in Iceland’s referendum on resuming membership negotiations with the European Union. Voting stations closed on Saturday, but it could take several hours for a clear victory for either the “yes” or “no” camp to emerge. The referendum does not have exit polls, and ballot counting only began once voting stations closed.
Polling suggests the vote is on a knife-edge, with different surveys putting either side narrowly ahead, but none straying more than a few points from an even 50/50 split. The vote comes 13 years after Iceland, then led by a Eurosceptic government, paused EU accession talks. The country is currently governed by the pro-EU Social Democratic Alliance, which called the vote and promised to honour whatever the Icelandic public decides.
If Icelanders vote “yes”, the country would likely start years of negotiations with Brussels to hammer out membership terms. It would then hold a second referendum on whether to formally become part of the EU. Security, the relatively sluggish Icelandic economy, and the future of the Icelandic currency, the krona, have all been significant themes in the run-up to the vote.
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