Icelanders narrowly turned down reopening membership talks with the European Union in a divisive referendum, as concerns over retaining control of the island nation’s natural resources eclipsed the case for closer alignment with Europe.
After a night of see-saw tally, the “no” camp scored 52.8% support against 47.2% for the “yes” side when all ballots were counted, a somewhat larger victory than projected by polls in the run-up to the vote, according to the final results presented by the electoral commission on Sunday.
For the EU, the result dealt a symbolic setback to efforts to revive interest in enlargement just as it’s seeking to kick the process out of a 13-year hiatus.
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