Iceland referendum shows slim lead for resuming EU membership talks

Early results from Iceland's referendum on resuming European Union membership talks showed a slim lead for the "yes" camp on Sunday night.

With 87,00 ballots counted, 51.2% of ​voters were in favor of the government's ​proposal to resume EU negotiations, while 48.8% opposed it, Iceland's public broadcaster RUV reported.

Some 270,000 Icelanders were eligible to vote. There was no information yet about voter turnout.

Election officials warned that a more reliable result might not be available until midday on Sunday.

Iceland has spent the better part of two decades wrestling with the question of becoming the bloc's 28th member. Talks were suspended 13 years ago by the euroskeptic government at the time.

Iceland's current left-leaning government, elected in 2024, originally vowed to hold a vote next year but brought it forward because of rising geopolitical tension over Russia's war in Ukraine and Greenland.

This article will be updated as votes continue to be counted in Iceland.

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Edited by: Sean Sinico