A constitutional referendum was held in Iceland between 20 and 23 May 1944. The 1918 Danish–Icelandic Act of Union declared Iceland to be a sovereign state separate from Denmark, but maintained the two countries in a personal union, with the king of Denmark also being the king of Iceland. In the two-part referendum, voters were asked whether the union with Denmark should be abolished, and whether to adopt a new republican constitution. Both measures were approved, each with more than 98% of valid votes in favour. Including invalid ballots, voter turnout was 98% overall, and 100% in two constituencies: Seyðisfjörður and Vestur-Skaftafjellssýsla.
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1944 Icelandic constitutional referendum in the context of Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or Norden; lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland; and the autonomous region of Åland.
The Nordic countries have much in common in their way of life, history, religion and social and economic model. They have a long history of political unions and other close relations but do not form a singular state or federation today. The Scandinavist movement sought to unite Denmark, Norway and Sweden into one country in the 19th century. With the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden (Norwegian independence), the independence of Finland in the early 20th century and the 1944 Icelandic constitutional referendum, this movement expanded into the modern organised Nordic cooperation. Since 1962, this cooperation has been based on the Helsinki Treaty that sets the framework for the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers.