International News

LONDON, (APP/AFP) – British voters dealt a
seismic blow to the European Union by voting to leave the bloc,
triggering the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron Friday
and sending world financial markets into freefall.
The shock outcome of Thursday’s historic referendum could
have a knock-on effect on other EU members battling hostility to
Brussels and possibly lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom
after Scotland raised the prospect of another independence vote.
Britons, many worried by immigration and what they saw
as interference in the running of their country by bureaucrats
in Brussels, voted by 52 to 48 percent to abandon the bloc
after 43 years of often troubled membership.
In an emotional statement outside Downing Street, Cameron
said he would resign to make way for a new leader by early October
after the failure of his “Remain” campaign.
“I do not think it would be right for me to try to be
the captain that steers our country to its next destination,” he
said as sterling, global stocks and oil prices plummeted.
Britain will be the first country to leave the EU, in
a move seen a victory for the anti-establishment rhetoric of
the Brexit campaign that highlights growing populism across
Europe.