Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union

Iceland held a vote on Saturday to decide whether the country should restart talks about joining the European Union. The results, announced Sunday by Iceland's national broadcaster RUV, showed that most voters said no. The final count was 52.8% against joining talks and 47.2% in favor. Iceland is a small island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean with about 400,000 people.

The vote was very close all through the night. Early results showed the 'Yes' side — those who wanted to restart EU talks — taking the lead. But as more votes were counted from other parts of the country, the 'No' side pulled ahead. By morning, only a few hundred votes separated the two sides before the gap grew larger.

Voter turnout was high. More than 82% of Iceland's roughly 270,000 eligible voters cast ballots. The capital city of Reykjavik was the only place in the country where a majority voted yes. In most other parts of Iceland, more people voted against the measure.

One big reason many Icelanders voted no was their fishing industry. Iceland has depended on fishing for hundreds of years, and it is a huge part of the country's identity and economy. Many people feared that joining the EU would mean giving up control of their fishing waters. The EU has rules that would allow fishing boats from countries like Spain and the Netherlands to fish in Icelandic waters.

Some opponents also pointed out that Iceland already benefits from being connected to the EU. Iceland is part of the EU's single market, which makes trading with European countries easier. It is also part of the Schengen zone, which lets people travel freely across many European borders. They argued that full EU membership would give Iceland less control over its own laws and decisions.

Supporters of joining the EU had strong reasons of their own. They said EU membership could lower Iceland's inflation and interest rates, making everyday life more affordable. They also said the euro, the EU's shared currency, would be more stable than Iceland's own money, called the króna. Supporters added that joining the EU would help Iceland work with neighbors on big problems like climate change.

The timing of the vote was partly shaped by comments from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump made several threats about wanting to take control of Greenland, a nearby island. He even mistakenly mentioned Iceland four times while talking about Greenland. Iceland is a member of NATO, a military alliance, but some felt that being in the EU would add another layer of security and protection.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir supported joining EU talks and campaigned for a yes vote. After the results came in, she said she hoped the outcome would not divide the country. 'I don't feel that there is bitterness,' she told RUV before all the votes were counted. She said people across Iceland were open to listening to different points of view.

Iceland has a long history of standing up to larger and more powerful countries. The descendants of Vikings, Icelanders won their independence from Denmark in 1944. In the 1970s, Iceland won what became known as the 'Cod Wars' — a dispute with Britain over the right to control its own fishing waters. That proud tradition of independence played a big role in how many people voted.

The result was a disappointment for many in the EU. Iceland is a wealthy, stable, and democratic country, and it could have joined the bloc fairly quickly compared to other candidates. The last country to join the EU was Croatia, back in 2013. Many other countries waiting to join — including nations in the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine — still have many reforms to complete before they can be considered for membership.