Icelanders on Saturday voted in a referendum against resuming negotiations for the country to become a member of the European Union (EU).

At the end of the poll, 52.8 per cent of the total votes rejected reopening talks with the EU, while only 47.2 per cent voted in favour of the proposal.

Reykjavik, the country’s capital, was the only area on the island where a majority supported the referendum. 

The referendum, “Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union?” was a yes-or-no question for roughly 265,000 eligible voters.

The citizens’ poll followed threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to control Greenland, which sits off the northeastern coast of Canada.

In an address on Sunday, the country’s Prime Minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, said the referendum, although against her personal choice, raised the EU membership debate to a higher level.

Ms Frostadóttir stated, “It is quite clear that this matter will not move forward under this government.”

“I don’t feel that there is bitterness. I know tempers run high for some people, but I have now spent time with a large group of people from all over the country, and people are quite open to different outcomes.”

According to her, the government would decide whether to formally submit a parliamentary resolution to communicate the country’s withdrawal of its earlier EU membership application.

Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009 but withdrew in 2013 after deciding it needed to hold a referendum on foreign policy.

While the “Yes” voters in the referendum believed joining the bloc could help lower interest rates and offer security, “No” voters objected, fearing that EU membership would threaten the island’s sovereignty and fishing waters.