EU-thriller på Island

On Saturday, Icelanders will vote on whether to resume EU membership negotiations. Recent polls indicated a narrow lead for the "no" side at 51.6%, while the "yes" side stood at 48.4%, according to a Gallup poll cited by The Guardian. Voting stations opened at 09:00 and closed at 22:00 local time. Preliminary counts show over 150,000 votes already cast, with the "no" side leading by a margin of 0.1 percentage points.

So far, 49.9% of votes are "yes" and 50.1% are "no". Early Sunday morning in local time, the "no" side appeared poised to win. However, it seems the "no" side might win once all votes are counted, according to broadcaster Ruv. This is because the "yes" lead in Reykjavik fell short of expectations. Reykjavik voted 54.5% "yes" to 44.5% "no".

When early results came in around 01:00 local time, the "no" side led with 59%. Around 265,000 Icelanders are eligible to vote, and over 20% had already voted early ahead of election day, reported by AP. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir accelerated the plebiscite following Donald Trump's aggressive remarks about taking control of neighboring Greenland. - This has been an intense race, extremely tense, said Frostadóttir after casting her vote, according to AP.

The debate has focused more on fishing, farming, and sovereignty than on security. VG has previously covered Iceland's run-up to the referendum. - It has become a very steep front. People are threatened with death threats over a question of paper work and administration, said 35-year-old Anna Dougal. The "no" side fears that the EU's common fisheries policy could open Icelandic waters to Spanish and Dutch trawlers.

The fishing industry accounts for nearly 40% of Iceland's exports. A "no" vote does not automatically mean EU membership - a possible agreement would need to be approved in a new referendum.