Iceland’s countryside backs rejection of EU talks, analyst says

Nationalist and conservative voters in rural Iceland provided the strongest support for rejecting European Union accession negotiations, political scientist Ólafur Þ. Harðarson told mbl.is.

“The views of those in favour clearly had their strongest support in Reykjavík, where 56 per cent voted yes,” he said.

Viewed through a cultural divide, Harðarson said, liberal internationalists prevailed in Reykjavík, while national conservatives did better in the countryside.

He said the result was not good for the government, but did not expect it to affect the coalition. The government would most likely remain in office for the rest of its term, he said.

Harðarson said it was impossible to know whether EU accession talks could be put back on the agenda during the next parliamentary term. That would depend on the results of the 2028 election, if it is held, as well as whether global instability continued or worsened.

He also said Iceland’s situation could change if Norway decided to join the EU, although he considered that unlikely at present. In that case, the European Economic Area agreement would effectively be dead and Iceland would find itself in a completely new position.

Harðarson described the result as a setback for the EU. He said there was dissatisfaction in Brussels, but that it was not a major blow because the bloc still had an interest in maintaining good cooperation with both Iceland and Norway.