Close race as Iceland votes on whether to restart talks on joining EU

Icelanders are voting in a referendum to decide whether to resume talks on joining the European Union, 13 years after they were broken off.

In an indication of how tight the result is expected to be, the latest opinion poll put the No campaign in the lead with 51.6%. An earlier poll had put the Yes campaign ahead.

Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir's centre-left government had already intended to hold a referendum, but turbulent international affairs prompted her to bring it forward.

But the debate was fought less over Nato member Iceland's security concerns than over its vital fishing industry and sovereignty.

Voting is due to go on from 09:00 to 22:00 GMT on Saturday and the result is expected in the early hours of Sunday.

Iceland has a population of under 400,000. More than one in five voters had already cast their ballots in early voting before Saturday, according to Iceland's public broadcaster RUV.

The question on the ballot is , external : "Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?"

Although Iceland is already part of the EU's single market and Schengen border-free zone as part of the European Economic Area, EU membership would bring it into the customs union and eventually the euro.