Iceland referendum rejects reopening EU membership talks
The no camp led by about 52.8%, denying the government a mandate to restart accession talks frozen for more than a decade.
Icelandic voters rejected a proposal to reopen negotiations on European Union membership in a referendum held Saturday. According to RUV, the no camp led with about 52.5%-52.8%, while supporters got 47.2%-47.5%. Nationwide, the no vote reached 99.037, against 89.459 yes votes, a margin of 9.578 votes.
The result means the government did not win a mandate to restart the accession process, which was frozen more than a decade ago. The referendum does not automatically decide whether Iceland will join the European Union; if talks are reopened and an agreement is reached, membership would still have to be decided in a second referendum. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir had campaigned in favor of reopening the negotiations.