Brussels [Belgium], August 31: Iceland has narrowly rejected restarting talks on joining the European Union in a referendum, with 52.8% voting against and 47.2% in favour, according to official results on Sunday.
Despite the small margin - about 118,000 people voted against, and about 105,000 in favour of restarting EU talks - the result marks a blow for the pro-EU, Social Democrat-led government. The government had pledged to hold a referendum on reopening accession talks after coming to power in the 2024 election, and the vote was announced in March. Social Democratic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadottir, who had campaigned for a "Yes" vote, said that the government would abide by the decision. Frostadottir does not regard the majority of the population's denial of the resumption of EU accession talks as a setback.
On Sunday in Reykjavík, she described it as a "victory for democracy."
Frostadottir reaffirmed the commitment she had made before the referendum to respect the result and not to pursue the talks further during the current parliamentary term. Saturday's referendum was held after geopolitical tensions thrust the question of EU membership back to the top of the agenda. A Nordic nation of just under 400,000 people and a NATO member, Iceland has been facing growing pressure to strengthen ties with the European mainland.
Source: Qatar Tribune
