Icelanders reject reopening EU membership talks, preliminary results show

Icelanders have voted against beginning membership negotiations with the European Union, according to preliminary results reported by mbl.is. With only the final figures from the Southwest constituency still pending, the national count stood at 52.5 per cent against and 47.5 per cent in favour.

The Swedish public broadcaster described the result under the headline “A setback for Brussels”.

“Iceland’s no to resuming membership negotiations with the EU is a setback for Brussels and raises questions about the union’s appeal,” the broadcaster reported. It added that a yes vote had been expected to strengthen support for greater ambition on enlargement, but that the result now points in the opposite direction.