Politics · Iceland EU ReferendumIceland EU Referendum Too Close to CallAired August 30, 2026 at 5:44 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Iceland's vote on reopening European Union talks has tightened to a margin of just0:04hundreds of ballots, with counting still incomplete.0:07An unofficial RUVI tally cited by the BBC at about 5.26 UTC showed no ahead by0:13435 votes, 76,339 to 75,904, or0:1850.1% to 49.9%.0:22The snapshot included 153,197 ballots, among them 954 blank0:27or invalid votes, but it is not a final turnout figure and no result has been0:31certified.0:32Earlier reports of a yes lead reflected a Reykjavik0:36heavy partial count.0:37Both capital constituencies backed yes, while later returns from rural and coastal0:42areas shifted the narrow lead to number partial counts in the South and Northeast0:45leaned strongly against restarting talks, and the Southwest leaned narrowly no.0:49The advisory ballot asks whether Iceland should resume EU accession negotiations0:53frozen since 2013.0:55A yes vote would restart talks, not make Iceland an EU member.0:59Any eventual accession treaty would require another referendum and approval from1:02every EU member state.1:04Prime Minister Christian Frostadotir called the vote a great day after years of1:08waiting and said her government would continue its work regardless of the result.1:12She has promised to treat a yes as a mandate for negotiations, while saying a no1:16would stop the accession process under her current government.1:19Fisheries, agriculture, and control of natural resources have driven opposition1:23outside the capital.1:24Supporters argue eventual access to the Euro could reduce borrowing costs, but1:28reopening negotiations would not guarantee that outcome.1:31Iceland remains in both the European economic area and NATO either way.1:35For now, the decision remains too close to call.1:38Even a yes would begin a long negotiation over fisheries, currency, and other terms1:43before Icelanders vote again on membership itself.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗