Polling stations across Iceland closed at 10:00 pm local time on Saturday, concluding a high-stakes referendum that asked voters: "Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?" With over 87,000 votes scrutinized, the initial results indicate a neck-to-neck race, with the 'Yes' camp holding 51.2% and the 'No' camp at 48.8%.
The voting patterns align with earlier opinion polls, which suggested a close finish. In rural regions, the 'No' camp is trending toward 60%, whereas the capital, Reykjavík, shows strong support for the 'Yes' side. Specifically, initial results from Reykjavík's south constituency, with over 20,000 votes counted, show 55.9% in favor of 'Yes'. In the capital's north constituency, where nearly 21,000 votes have been processed, the 'Yes' camp leads with 59.4%.
Conversely, other regions have reported different trends. The Southern Constituency, with nearly 10,000 votes counted, gave the 'No' camp a significant 59.8% share. Similarly, in the Northwest Constituency, the Eurosceptic side leads with 60.8% of the nearly 6,000 votes counted. The Northeast Constituency also leans toward the 'No' camp, which holds 56% of the nearly 10,000 votes processed there. The Southwest Constituency remains perfectly split, with 9,900 votes for each side.
Approximately 272,000 individuals were eligible to participate in the vote, which sought to decide whether the nation should restart accession talks or abandon the prospect of joining the European Union for the foreseeable future. Local media reported that voter turnout was comparable to or higher than the 80% recorded during the 2024 parliamentary elections. As the counting process continues through the night, further results are expected to clarify the final outcome of the referendum.
