Britain votes to leave European Union in controversial poll

Britain has voted to leave the European Union, forecasts show, with nearly all of the votes counted.

British broadcasters BBC, ITV and Sky News all called the vote in favor of the leave camp, with nearly 52 percent voting to exit the EU.

The turnout was high in a vote that touches on immigration, sovereignty, security and Britain’s economic future, Britain’s electoral commission said.

“Counting Officers have verified that a total of 33,568,184 ballot papers will be included in the count for the referendum. Based on a confirmed electorate of 46,500,001, turnout at the referendum was 72.2 percent,” the commission said in a statement.

The leader of the Leave campaign, Nigel Farage said June 23 will go down as “Independence Day” in Britain’s history and called on Prime Minister David Cameron to resign following the leave vote.

The uncertainty that will follow Britain’s exit sent the pound tumbling, and it was down more than five percent overnight in London.

Polls closed as scheduled Thursday, despite heavy rain and flooding in southern England that snarled traffic and prompted the closure of parts of London’s tube system, making it difficult for some evening commuters to make it to polling stations. Flooding forced at least two polling stations in the London area to move.

For some braving the rain, the decision boiled down to the ideal of peace on which the European Union was founded.

“We have for the first time in hundreds of years, we’ve had peace in Europe for over 50 years. I’m a man of a generation who hasn’t had to go to fight a war in Western Europe and I think that’s a wonderful thing that is worth celebrating,” said Chris Kenyon, 41, one of the first to vote at a polling station in the north London borough of Islington.

“For me, this is peace, prosperity and power, and I find it extraordinary that we’re at this point of even discussing exiting the European Union,” he told VOA.

Early polls indicated Remain victory

As voters went to polling stations, opinion surveys showed the two sides in a dead heat, with some polls showing the Remain camp holding a slight lead.

Hopes of retaining the bloc’s second richest economy boosted investor confidence and European markets rallied. Economists have predicted dire consequences if Britain quits, with some saying the British pound could lose up to 15 percent of its value. In Thursday’s rally, the pound reached a 6-month high.

Despite the bad weather, turnout was high – well over 70 percent – culminating a bitter, 2-month campaign that centered largely on immigration, a highly sensitive and divisive issue in a nation whose immigration rate has doubled since 2000.

Prime Minister David Cameron led the call to remain. The British leader cast his vote near 10 Downing Street early Thursday. Earlier, he made a final pitch to persuade undecided voters, saying, “We are stronger, we are better off in a reformed European Union.”

British analysts say Cameron’s political future depends on the outcome of the poll. The referendum is being held after Cameron in February failed to secure a deal with the EU that would have restricted benefits for immigrants and curbed business and other regulations.

If the voters’ decision is to leave the EU, pundits say Cameron will lose his mandate and have little choice but to resign, something the British leader has until now said he will not do. Farage has already called for Cameron to step down.

Final push for voters

Proponents of a Brexit also made last-minute calls to undecided voters. Anti-immigration crusader Farage said, “We can vote to get our borders back.”

Polls showed the Leave campaign lost some support following the June 16 murder of anti-Brexit lawmaker Jo Cox. The killing, allegedly by a right-wing extremist with a history of mental health problems, prompted the temporary suspension of campaigns on both sides and caused many British voters to pause and reflect on the bitterness surrounding the vote.

“This referendum has been very divisive and I think that’s completely unnecessary. We ought to be able to work forward on issues of the economy and migration and security, those issues, without being so divisive,” said Kimberly Griffin, a Remain supporter attending a memorial for Cox Thursday at Trafalgar Square.“We never should have had this referendum, and I think this is a tragic consequence.”

It will not be entirely clear how much of an impact Cox’s murder will have until votes are counted early Friday.

London voter Maggie Hopkinson, attending the memorial, said she was still undecided. Asked what bearing Cox’s murder would have on her decision, she replied, “None whatsoever.She was a beautiful person killed by a madman,” she said.