Icelanders voted on Saturday on whether to reopen membership talks with the European Union, with islanders split down the middle after a campaign focused on the cost of living, security, sovereignty and control over fishing waters, APA reports citing Reuters.
The race is too close to call. A Gallup poll on Friday suggested a narrow majority opposed the government's proposal of reopening negotiations, a slight shift from earlier surveys that pointed to a narrow lead for supporters of renewed talks.
"Yes" campaigners backing talks say joining the bloc could ease high interest rates and offer more security in a world unsettled by the war in Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump's threats over another Arctic island, Greenland.
"No" campaigners argue EU membership would threaten the island's sovereignty and fishing waters.
The referendum campaign has fuelled debate about Iceland's place in the world, Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir told reporters after casting her ballot in the capital on Saturday.
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