Iceland votes on its future in knife-edge EU referendum

High turnout has exposed deep divisions over sovereignty, fishing rights and whether the founding NATO member should move closer to Brussels Icelanders have turned out in unusually large numbers to decide whether to reopen accession talks with the European Union, with the founding NATO member split almost exactly down the middle over its future relationship with Brussels.Polling stations closed at 10pm local time on Saturday, with the first results expected later in the night. The outcome remained too close to call, with the final opinion polls showing the two camps virtually deadlocked.Interest in the referendum has been exceptionally high. More than 63,000 people – close to a quarter of the electorate – had already cast advance ballots by Friday night. Turnout on election day was also running ahead of the 2024 parliamentary election in parts of Reykjavík.The ballot asks voters a single question: “Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?” A “yes” would not automatically make Iceland an EU member. It would restart negotiations abandoned more than a decade ago, with any eventual membership agreement expected to be put to voters in a second referendum. Th...