From Iceland — Days Before Election, Yes To Icesave In Lead

Days Before Election, Yes To Icesave In Lead

Published April 4, 2011

A new poll shows most Icelanders still intend to vote in favour of the Icesave agreement.
Public discourse over the agreement – voted into law by a parliamentary majority of 70% but subsequently vetoed by the president – has been reaching a fever pitch on both sides of the issue.
Only weeks ago, 23.1% of people polled were still undecided on the matter. That number has decreased slightly, as a new Capacent poll has 81.4% saying they intend to vote either yes or no. Of those, 55.3% said they intended to vote in favour of the Icesave agreement, while 44.7% said they would vote against.
This is a slight increase from the previous poll, where 52% said they would vote Yes.
Those in favour of the agreement cite the fact that Iceland is bound by the laws of the European Economic Area, and that to refuse to pay the agreement would ruin the country’s financial credibility, while opponents believe Icelandic taxpayers have no business covering the losses incurred by private banks.
Literature on what the Icesave agreement entails has been sent to households around the country. Voting on the referendum will take place this Saturday.

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