A 'no' would dent the optimism in Brussels about expanding the bloc to new members
REYKJAVÍK – Polls have closed in Iceland, where voters were asked to decide on restarting talks to join the EU– but it’s still too early to say which side has won.
Voters cast their ballots knowing that if they vote yes, another referendum – on the terms of joining – may follow.
The tenor of the campaign has been somewhat darker than the sunny atmosphere around the capital on Saturday might suggest. Several locals told Euractiv that the EU question has driven a wedge through close-knit families. On Friday, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, the foreign minister who has advocated reopening talks, said she received “serious threats.”
In the days leading up to Saturday’s vote, there were polls suggesting both scenarios were possible. A poll late published on Friday suggested those who want to restart membership talks with Brussels – called off in 2013 – could narrowly edge out their opponents, though the margins were incredibly tight.
