Local Editor

The United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union after more than 51 percent of Britons voted to leave the 28-member bloc in a historic referendum on June 23.

With all of Thursday votes counted, some 51.90 percent of voters opted to leave the EU, while roughly 48.10 percent of people voted to stay in the union.

Just over 17.4 million Britons said the country should leave the bloc, as 16.14 million others favored remaining in the EU.

Although London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU, voters in Wales and the English shires backed Brexit in large numbers.

For his part, UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage was among the first to assume a celebratory tone, saying the country was taking its independence back.

People in favor of remaining in the bloc argued that leaving it would risk the UK's prosperity, diminish its influence over world affairs, and result in trade barriers between the UK and the EU.

On the spectrum, Britons who favor withdrawal believe that outside the bloc, the UK would be better off in conducting its own trade negotiations, better able to control immigration and free from what they believe to be excessive EU regulations and bureaucracy.

Consequently, the decision caused the UK money to collapse. The pound fell to its lowest level against the US dollar since 1985 as the global markets reacted to the results.

Since joining the European Economic Community in 1973, the membership of the European Union has been a controversial issue in the UK.

The UK vote drew varying reactions from leaders across the world, with many EU officials expressing concern over Britain's decision to leave the bloc, while others have warned of the repercussions of remaining in the union.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team