Iceland: the ‘no’ vote wins in the referendum on resuming EU accession negotiations
(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - The ‘no’ vote has won in Iceland’s referendum on the European Union. This was announced by the public broadcaster. The ‘no’ vote has, in fact, built up a lead in today’s count, following the referendum on this issue which has sparked debate across the island. As the count draws to a close, the ‘no’ vote leads the ‘yes’ vote by 5 percentage points (52.5 per cent to 47.5 per cent), according to figures released by the public broadcaster RÚV. “The nation has rejected EU accession negotiations,” RUV concluded on its website. This is a major blow to the EU, which would have welcomed Iceland’s candidacy and appeared ready to make compromises in order to welcome it as a member. Any discussion regarding the accession of the wealthy North Atlantic island will remain on hold until at least 2028. Specifically, voters were asked to answer the following question: “Should Iceland reopen accession negotiations with the European Union?” In 2009, in the wake of the financial crisis that had brought its economy to its knees, the country – which has a population of almost 400,000 – had submitted its application, but negotiations were suspended in 2013 following the formation of a Eurosceptic government.
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