The 'no' campaign looks all but guaranteed to win the referendum, after wooing by Brussels
REYKJAVÍK – Iceland looks set to reject the prospect of restarting talks to join the European Union, in a major setback for Brussels’ dreams of expanding the bloc.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, a social democrat leading a coalition, argued that her Nordic nation should have the opportunity to see the terms of joining the EU, and had promised another referendum on any decision to join in future. ‘Yes’ campaigners made an economic case, saying joining the euro would bring down record high inflation.
But the ‘no’ campaign appeared to convince more voters by hammering home what joining the 27-nation bloc could mean for national sovereignty, business and the prized fishing sector.
The final offiical results are not yet in. However, with five of the six constituencies having returned preliminary numbers, Icelandic media is calling it for ‘no.’ 52.5 percent voted ‘no,’ whereas 47.5 percent voted ‘yes,’ according to RÚV, the national broadcaster.
