The United Kingdom has voted decisively to leave the European Union, forcing the resignation of the prime minister and sending a shockwave through global markets.
In a historic referendum, the Leave campaign captured 52 percent of the vote against the Remain camp’s 48 percent, with a win for Brexit advocates clear by early Friday morning.
David Cameron, who called the referendum and led the campaign to remain in the EU, announced he would step down as prime minister by October, saying that the nation needed "fresh leadership."
"I do not think it would be right for me to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination," he told reporters.
London's former mayor Boris Johnson, a member of the Conservative Party, is a leading candidate to succeed Cameron.
U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage celebrated the decision as the U.K.’s "independence day."
We've left behind a failed political union. We can now rejoin the world as an independent, self-governing nation.https://t.co/oqMbzLWhqO
— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) June 24, 2016
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced it was "highly likely" her government would hold a second independence referendum, saying her country would not be severed from the EU "against our will." Scotland voted 62 percent to 38 percent to remain in the EU.
Britain’s decision to sever its 43-year membership with the EU jolted global markets. The pound plunged to its lowest level since 1985.
The U.K. now has a two-year window to renegotiate trade, business, and political links with the remaining 27 nations in the bloc. The step is unprecedented and thrusts EU member states into political and economic uncertainty.
Roughly 72 percent of the record 46.5 million people registered to vote in the referendum went to the polls.
Official turnout from @ElectoralCommUK: Based on a confirmed electorate of 46,500,001 turnout at the referendum was 72.2%
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) June 24, 2016
The U.K. last held an a referendum on membership in a united Europe in 1975, with voters choosing overwhelmingly to ratify their place in the continental community.