Iceland’s leaders have promised to respect what the country’s people decide. Published August 29, 2026 August 29, 2026 Voting has closed in Iceland’s referendum on resuming membership negotiations with the European Union. and the counting of votes only began once the polling stations were closed. Polls suggest the vote is on a knife’s edge, with different polls giving each side a narrow lead, but none deviating more than a few points from an even 50/50 split. The vote comes 13 years after Iceland, then led by a eurosceptic government, paused EU accession talks. Icelanders vote “yes,” and the country would likely enter years of negotiations with Brussels to agree membership conditions. It would then hold a second referendum on whether to formally join the EU. Security, the relatively sluggish Icelandic economy and the future of the Icelandic currency, the krona, have been important issues in the run-up to the vote.
