.
Almost
46.5 million people were registered to vote in Thursday's referendum.
Leave.EU
and UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who had earlier appeared to concede that the
"Remain" vote had "edged it," told his supporters that the
result heralded a "new dawn" for an independent UK.
"The
dawn is coming up on an independent United Kingdom, something that you did your
absolute best -- you used all of your powers -- to prevent," he said.
"You
did it using every organ of state available to you. You've lost the trust of
the British people. Go, go now."
The tiny
British overseas territory of Gibraltar has the biggest margin of victory for
Remain. About 96% of ballots there were for remain.
Prior to
the final results, historian Simon Schama said"I think Leave is going to
win this and I think Britain is going to leave the European Union, which
obviously I think is a catastrophe.
"We're
on a kind of very dangerous knife edge about the integrity and coherence of
Europe... we're entering a very dark and exceptionally dangerous period in
European and actually world history, too."
In one of
the most divisive campaigns in recent memory, polls had consistently shown
voters split down the middle, with the outcome too close to call, and wavering
voters likely to determine the result.
The UK
has been a member of the European Union -- and its precursors -- since 1973.
The
results have prompted mixed reaction from European politicians.
Germany's
foreign minister tweeted: "The early morning news from #GreatBritain are
truly sobering. It looks like a sad day for #Europe+the #UnitedKingdom."
The
far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders congratulated the UK on its decision,
and called for a Dutch referendum on EU membership.
"We
want be in charge of our own country, our own money, our own borders, and our
own immigration policy," he was quoted as saying in a statement on his
website.
"If
I become prime minister, there will be a referendum in the Netherlands on
leaving the European Union as well. Let the Dutch people decide."
Northern
Irish party Sinn Fein, which has long advocated for independence from the UK,
said that the vote "forfeited any mandate to represent the interests of
people here in the north of Ireland," chairman Declan Kearney said in a
statement.
Markets start
freaking out
The pound
has dipped precipitously in forex markets as results from more and more
election authorities came in, slowly solidifying the "Leave" camp's
hold on the referendum.
The pound
has dropped below 1.35 against the dollar, the lowest since 1985, according to
Kit Juckes, a
strategist at Societe Generale.
Before
the polls closed, markets had been expecting the UK would stay in the EU. But
that expectation changed rapidly as results started coming in.
The pound
is dropping sharply against all major currencies, and is currently trading at
1.38 against the dollar.
Oil is down 4%.
Gold --
one asset investors turn to in the times of uncertainty --- is up 2%.
The
shockwaves are being felt around the world.
Japanese
Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters Japan is keeping a close eye on
financial markets following the UK's EU referendum and is ready to take
measures if necessary, if markets continue to fall.
Mark
Littlewood,Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs, said the UK
will have a difficult time moving forward.
"Tomorrow
we'll wake up to a totally divided nation," he said.
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