Iceland's referendum on whether to resume negotiations with the European Union ended with a victory for the 'no' camp. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

The count lasted through the night. On Sunday morning, broadcaster RUV declared the 'no' camp the winner with about 52.8% of the vote. Given Iceland's population of barely 400,000, the margins were tiny.

The well-funded 'no' campaign rejoiced, while opponents criticized it for fearmongering, with some comparing its tactics to those used by Brexit activists in the UK's 2016 referendum. Its portrayal of fishing and farming – two industries inextricably tied to Icelandic national identity – as threatened by EU membership was central to its success. Results showed a big split between voters in the capital region and the rest of the largely rural country, where there is a sense that national identity is at risk of being forgotten.

But it was perhaps also the wording of the ballot question that helped the 'no' side win. Icelanders were asked: "Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?" A second referendum would be held once a deal had been reached. This meant that a 'yes' vote would have actually been a 'yes, maybe', whereas a 'no' vote was always a clearer, more decisive move. One of the 'yes, maybe' campaign's slogans was "Já til að sjá" ("yes to see"), which felt vague compared to the bullish claims of the 'no' campaign.

At a lively 'yes' campaign party at Reykjavík Art Museum, when 'yes' briefly seemed to edge ahead, supporter Þòrir Snoor said: "The no side has done a lot of fearmongering and done it very very well." The 25-year-old added that while he had many peers who, like him, thought the euro could solve the country's high inflation and high interest rates, "a lot of my friends have said they are scared of the European Union."

Snædis Inga Rúnarsdóttir, 30, wearing a blue EU cap, agreed that the 'no' campaign had been louder and better funded. She said she would have to make peace with a potential 'no' win, but criticized the swirl of misinformation around the referendum.

Iceland's foreign minister, Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, had previously said she feared her country faced a "Brexit moment" amid warnings over the potential influence of misinformation, foreign interference, and AI in the referendum. Just before midnight, with votes still being counted, she told the Guardian that whatever the result, "at least Icelandic people have shown it was the right thing to have a vote." She added: "And what I like the most is now foreign policy is, everything is, on the agenda."