At Stake in this Election:  

Iceland will hold a national referendum on 29 August 2026 to determine whether the country should resume negotiations with the European Union for formal membership.  

Icelandic (original):  

• Á Ísland að hefja á ný aðildarviðræður við Evrópusambandið? 

• Svarmöguleikar: “Já” og “Nei” 

English (formal translation):  

• Should Iceland resume accession negotiations with the European Union? 

• Options: “Yes” or “No” 

Government Structure:  

• Head of State: President Halla TÓMASDÓTTIR (since 1 August 2024) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Kristrún FROSTADÓTTIR (since 21 December 2024) 

• Assembly: unicameral Parliament (Althingi) with 63-seats  

Electoral System:  

• The President is elected by plurality for a four-year term. There are no term limits for the Presidency.  

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President to lead the cabinet of ministers. The size and roles of the cabinet are determined by the President.  

• Members of the unicameral Althingi are directly elected through list proportional representation to four-year renewable terms.  

Last Election:  

The last referendum in Iceland was held on October 20, 2012, where voters weighed in on changes to the constitution. Voter turnout was 48.96%. 

Information for Voters: 

Þjóðaratkvæðagreiðsla um aðildarviðræður við ESB /Referendum on EU Accession Negotiations (in Icelandic)  

Key Deadlines:  

• Voter registration deadline: July 24 (published)   

Country Context: 

• Population: 392,404 (2025 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 268,490 (2024 est.) 

• V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index Score:  0.807 (2025) 

• V-Dem Regimes of the World Classification: Liberal Democracy (2025) 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.972, Very high, Rank 1 (2025)   

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 191,342 (2025 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 24 July 1980, Ratified 18 June 1985  

• Gender Quota: No 

• Female Candidates in this election: N/A 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 29 out of 63 (46%) in the Althingi   

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A 

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 23 September 2016 

• Projected population with a disability: 30,615 (2025 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• ElectionJudgments: Yes, 3 judgments