Iceland Rejects Restarting European Union Accession Talks

Icelandic voters rejected restarting accession negotiations with the European Union, with 118,040 voting No, or 52.8%, and 105,339 voting Yes, or 47.2%. The final count recorded 225,031 ballots and turnout of 82.5%, with 1,652 ballots blank or invalid. The advisory referendum asked whether Iceland should reopen talks with the bloc; any eventual accession agreement would still require later approval. Reykjavík's two districts backed Yes, while No majorities in the Northwest, Northeast, South and Southwest carried the result.