Icelandic protestors against the proposal
Iceland votes against EU talks
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Icelanders voted against resuming membership talks with the European Union.
- 52.8 percent of the voters rejected the proposal.
Icelanders have voted against resuming membership negotiations with the European Union, official referendum results published Sunday by public broadcaster RÚV showed.
The 'No' campaign secured victory with 52.8 percent of the vote, while the 'Yes' camp garnered 47.2 percent, rejecting the government’s push to reopen accession talks that had been frozen for over a decade.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir acknowledged the result, stating that her administration would respect the democratic decision and that no further EU accession efforts would be pursued under her leadership.
Read more: US to push economic pressure on Iran at G20 finance talks
Rejection of Western integration
The vote exposed a clear division between the capital, Reykjavík, which leaned toward reopening negotiations, and rural and coastal constituencies, where voters overwhelmingly rejected EU entry talks to safeguard national sovereignty, domestic agriculture, and rich fishing grounds from European regulatory control.
