Roughly 80 percent of voters in yesterday’s advisory referendum voted in favor of Iceland declaring natural resources that are not privately owned national property, ruv.is reports.

Fishing in Lake Þingvallavatn. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.

As reported earlier, about two thirds of Icelanders voted in favor of adopting the recommendations of the Constitutional Council in drafting a new Constitution.

The ballot included six questions to which voters could either respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Following are the results from four of six electoral districts. Counting of the remaining votes is expected to be completed this afternoon.

1. Do you wish the Constitution Council’s proposals to form the basis of a new draft Constitution?

Yes: 65.9%
No: 34.1%

2. In the new Constitution, do you want natural resources that are not privately owned to be declared national property?

Yes: 81.0%
No: 19.0%

3. Would you like to see provisions in the new Constitution on an established (national) church in Iceland?

Yes: 57.4%
No: 42.6%

4. Would you like to see a provision in the new Constitution authorizing the election of particular individuals to the Alþingi more than is the case at present?

Yes: 76.4%
No: 23.6%

5. Would you like to see a provision in the new Constitution giving equal weight to votes cast in all parts of the country?

Yes: 56.2%
No: 43.8%

6. Would you like to see a provision in the new Constitution stating that a certain proportion of the electorate is able to demand that issues be put to a referendum?

Yes: 70.8%
No: 29.2%

As the referendum is non-binding, Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, will ultimately decide whether the draft will be used as a guideline for a new Constitution, which would replace the existing Constitution from 1944.

Chair of the Administration and Supervision Committee of Alþingi Valgerður Bjarnadóttir says a bill for a new Constitution could be ready within two weeks, ruv.is reports. According to Valgerður, the bill would be presented to parliament for debate before being put to a vote; a process she believes could be finished before the parliamentary elections in the spring. Voting on a new Constitution, she says, could be held alongside the 2013 parliamentary elections.

Turnout in yesterday’s referendum was highest in the greater Reykjavík area with 51.4 percent, and lowest in the South electoral district with 43.18 percent.

Click here to read more about yesterday’s referendum and here to read more about the draft.

ZR