The first numbers from today’s national referendum on the new Icesave referendum have been announced: approximately 40 percent of voters want to pass the legislation, while approximately 60 percent of voters want to reject it. Polls closed at 10 pm.

In the Southwest Constituency, around 58 percent of voters want to reject the legislation but 42 percent pass it, in the Northwest Constituency 65 percent have voted "no" and 35 percent "yes" so far, in the Northeast Constituency the ratio was 60/40 and 72/29 in the South Constituency.

It should be pointed out that these are only the first numbers and in some of these constituencies only a small percentage of ballots have been counted. The first results from both Reykjavík constituencies have yet to be announced.

Polls have indicated that more people living in the capital intend to vote "yes" than "no", however, if that will not be the outcome of the voting in the capital, the referendum will likely lead to the Icesave legislation being rejected, as political scientist Ólafur Th. Hardarsson pointed out on RÚV.

Voter turnout has been good; by the late afternoon 42 percent of voters nationwide had gone to the polls, which is a ten percent higher rate than at the same time in the 2010 Icesave referendum, ruv.is reports.

Click here to read more about Icesave.