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The historic Brexit referendum passed, meaning Great Britain will leave the European Union. Find out what this means for the country and the global economy. USA TODAY
The Manchester Town Hall is the setting for the national count in the EU referendum, in Manchester, Britain, June 23. 2016.(Photo: Peter Byrne, EPA)
LONDON — The United Kingdom<span style="color: Red;">*</span>voted to leave the European Union, according to a BBC forecast based on a partial count of results Friday.
The margin of victory was 52% to 48%.
It is the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>first departure from the alliance since the EU<span style="color: Red;">*</span>was formed 43 years ago. It could prompt other member nations to follow the U.K.'s lead and reverse a decades-long drive for European unity.
The outcome sent global markets into a tailspin. It<span style="color: Red;">*</span>will have far-reaching political implications for the future of the 28-nation bloc as well as the political future of Prime Minister David Cameron.
Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K. Independence Party said that "dawn was breaking on an independent U.K." He is not an member of the official "leave" campaign, but supports an exit from the EU.
The British pound fell 11% to a 31-year low as the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"leave" camp appeared on course to win the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>historic referendum. Dow futures plummeted more than 600 points. Tokyo's Nikkei index fell 8%. London's FTSE index was due to open 7% lower amid a flight to safety.
Iain Murray, vice president for strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based public policy organization, said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Britain’s "surprising vote" to leave the EU is "only the start of uncertainty and opportunity."
"Negotiations over the terms of exit will take at least two years, and no one knows what form they will take or what deal can be struck,” he said.
The British currency initially soared to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a 2016 peak of $1.50<span style="color: Red;">*</span>amid signs that "remain" was winning the day, but then moved lower with losses accelerating. It fell from<span style="color: Red;">*</span>$1.50 to below $1.35 as results suggested a strong possibility the U.K. would vote to quit the bloc
A ballot box is opened for counting at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as counting gets underway in the referendum on the U.K. membership of the European Union on June 23, 2016.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: John Linton, AP)
The<span style="color: Red;">*</span>final poll from online research firm YouGov had<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“remain” on 52% and “leave” on 48%. While not an exit poll, the survey was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>conducted on the day of the referendum.
The four-month campaign has been acrimonious. Backers<span style="color: Red;">*</span>argued<span style="color: Red;">*</span>that severing ties with the EU<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is the only way to reduce a flood of migrants and protect the U.K.'s<span style="color: Red;">*</span>independence from burdensome<span style="color: Red;">*</span>EU regulation.
Supporters of remaining in the EU, led by Prime Minister David Cameron,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>jobs, the economy, national security and the U.K.'s<span style="color: Red;">*</span>standing on the world stage would be compromised outside the alliance.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha leave after voting in the EU referendum in London, Thursday June 23, 2016.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Alastair Grant, AP)
The Electoral Commission said a record 46.5 million people registered to vote.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The question on the ballot paper was: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" The side that gets more than 50% of the votes will win.
The tiny overseas British territory Gibraltar was the first counting area to report results. The 2.5 square mile area off the south coast of Spain backed<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"remain" by a vote of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>19,322 to 823 — an overwhelming 95.8%. A count by the Electoral Commission is underway across 381 other counting areas. Gibraltar had been expected to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>strongly favor “remain.”
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Great Britain is voting on whether they will stay in the European Union or not. The outcome of that vote could weigh heavily on U.S. economy and intelligence agencies. VPC
In Rome, Italy's finance minister,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Pier Carlo Padoan, was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>quoted as saying at a forum<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Thursday that no matter what happens, it will be impossible to assert "let's pick up as if nothing" happened.
It is the U.K.'s<span style="color: Red;">*</span>third nationwide referendum, and its second on EU membership. U.K.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>voters backed staying in the EU in 1975.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Scotland failed to win<span style="color: Red;">*</span>independence in a 2014 vote that was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>held only north of the border.
Supporters of the Stronger In campaign react after hearing results in the EU referendum at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Britain, on June 24, 2016.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Rob Stothard, EPA)
Eligible voters included British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are residents in the U.K., that is, England, Scotland, Wales<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and Northern Ireland. Also voting were U.K. nationals living abroad<span style="color: Red;">*</span>who have been registered voters in the U.K. in the past 15 years. In addition, members of the House of Lords and commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar were also able to vote,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>unlike in a general election.
Voting was disrupted in the South of England Thursday as flash floods forced some polling stations to be relocated.
Peter Carlyon, 22, who was<span style="color: Red;">*</span>campaigning to stay in the EU<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in central London on Thursday,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>vote was "a once in a generation" chance. "We can’t change our<span style="color: Red;">*</span>minds next week.”
But Kevin Campbell, 36, said that<span style="color: Red;">*</span>an influx of Eastern Europeans coming to the U.K. under the EU's freedom of movement laws was damaging his small business. He works for a firm that installs fire-protection systems.
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USA TODAY
When will we know the result of the 'Brexit' vote?
Cameron issued a referendum day plea on Twitter for Britons to vote to “remain” while his Conservative Party rival Boris Johnson<span style="color: Red;">*</span>urged the country to “leave.”
Later Thursday, Johnson unveiled a poster that said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>“last chance to vote" at his daughter Lara's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>graduation ceremony at<span style="color: Red;">*</span>St. Andrews University<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Scotland, according to media reports.
While many observers feel Cameron will have to resign if Britons vote to leave the EU<span style="color: Red;">*</span>bloc, dozens of Conservative "leave" lawmakers<span style="color: Red;">*</span>have signed a letter saying the prime minister<span style="color: Red;">*</span>should stay in office whichever side wins the membership referendum.
The letter signed by 84 legislators says “whatever the British people, decide you have both a mandate and a duty to continue leading the nation implementing our policies.”
That leaves more than 60 Brexit-supporting Conservative Party<span style="color: Red;">*</span>lawmakers who did not sign.
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