According to RÚV, Iceland has voted against holding accession talks to join the EU, with the result stating: “The nation rejects accession negotiations with the EU.”
Residents of Iceland voted 52.5% “No”, while 47.5% voted “Yes”, with voting split across six voting districts.
Iceland’s Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, told voters that a “No” vote would put speculation about joining the EU aside, and described the vote as a “now or never” moment.
The main arguments made by “No” campaigners concerned fishing quotas and jurisdiction, as well as upholding Iceland’s sovereignty.
“Yes” campaigners wanted to join the EU to ease high interest rates, provide greater national security, and offer more protection against President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.