REYKJAVIK — Iceland's government has ordered every one of the nation's 270,000 registered voters to ascend the summit of Eyjafjallajökull and personally deposit their referendum ballot into a reinforced steel urn bolted to the volcano's crater rim, a measure officials say guarantees the decision on renewed EU membership is reached with the proper altitude.
Civil protection crews have spent the past week installing 14 kilometers of fixed rope lines and 3,200 wooden rest platforms along the mountain's southern flank, while the national airline has suspended all domestic flights to keep the airspace clear for the estimated 54,000 voters expected to make the climb each day. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir made the ascent herself on Tuesday, reaching the summit in just under six hours before casting her vote into the urn and descending to address the gathered press.
«A decision of this magnitude cannot be made at sea level,» Frostadóttir told reporters at the base camp, where 400 portable toilets and 12 field kitchens have been erected to handle the expected crowds. «When you stand above the clouds and look down at the North Atlantic, you understand what is at stake. The fishing grounds, the NATO basing agreement, the króna — it all looks different from up here.»
Opposition leaders have filed a formal complaint with the national electoral commission, arguing that the climb disproportionately disadvantages voters over 70 and those with mobility impairments. The commission responded by issuing each of those voters a certified mountain pony, with 1,800 animals now stabled in temporary corrals at the trailhead. The first day of voting saw 31,000 ballots cast, though 400 voters were turned back by weather and instructed to return on Thursday when the summit is expected to be clear.