President Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in a referendum on Sunday to grant him sweeping powers in the biggest overhaul of modern Turkish politics, but opponents said the vote was marred by irregularities and they would challenge its result.

Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast and its three main cities, including the capital Ankara and the largest city Istanbul, looked set to vote "No" after a bitter and divisive campaign.

Erdogan said 25 million people had supported the proposal, which will replace Turkey's parliamentary system with an all-powerful presidency and abolish the office of prime minister, giving the "Yes" camp 51.5 percent of the vote.

That appeared short of the decisive victory for which he and the ruling AK Party had aggressively campaigned. Nevertheless, thousands of flag-waving supporters rallied in Ankara and Istanbul in celebration.

"For the first time in the history of the Republic, we are changing our ruling system through civil politics," Erdogan said, referring to the military coups which marred Turkish politics for decades. "That is why it is very significant."

Under the changes, most of which will only come into effect after the next elections due in 2019, the president will appoint the cabinet and an undefined number of vice-presidents, and be able to select and remove senior civil servants without parliamentary approval.

There has been some speculation that Erdogan could call new elections so that his new powers could take effect right away. However, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek told Reuters there was no such plan, and the elections would still be held in 2019.

Erdogan himself survived a failed coup attempt last July, responding with a crackdown that has seen 47,000 people detained and 120,000 sacked or suspended from their jobs.

In Ankara, where Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addressed cheering supporters, convoys of cars honking horns clogged a main avenue as they headed toward the AK Party's headquarters, their passengers waving flags from the windows.

But opponents questioned the validity of the vote, calling for a recount and challenging a last minute decision by the electoral authorities to allow ballots to be counted that were not stamped by election officials.

The head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said the legitimacy of the referendum was open to question. His party said it would demand a recount of up to 60 percent of the votes.

The chairman of the electoral board said the decision to allow unstamped ballots to be counted was not unprecedented, as the government had allowed such. In some affluent neighborhoods in Istanbul, people took to the streets in protest while others banged pots and pans at home - a sign of dissent that was widespread during anti-Erdogan protests in 2013.

In Istanbul's Besiktas neighborhood, more than 300 protesters brought traffic on a main street to a standstill, a Reuters cameraman at the scenesaid. In Ankara, scuffles between AK Party and opposition supporters broke out near the headquarters of the CHP.

EUROPEAN UNEASE

Turkey's lira firmed to 3.65 to the dollar in Asian trade following the referendum, from 3.72 on Friday.

European politicians, however, who have had increasingly strained relations with Turkey, expressed concern. The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, said the close result meant that Ankara should seek "the broadest national consensus" in implementing the vote.

Relations hit a low during the referendum campaign when EU countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, barred Turkish ministers from holding rallies in support of the changes.

Erdogan called the moves "Nazi acts" and said Turkey could reconsider ties with the European Union after many years of seeking EU membership.

Former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, who heads the liberal group of MEPs in the European Parliament, said Erdogan needed to change course, noting the result was very tight. "If Erdogan persists, EU should stop accession talks," he said.

Manfred Weber‏, leader of the center-right grouping tweeted: "No matter the result: with his referendum Pres. Erdogan is splitting his country."

After the vote Erdogan repeated his intention to review Turkey's suspension of the death penalty, a step which would almost certainly spell the end of Ankara's EU accession process.

Further deterioration in relations with the European Union could also jeopardize last year's deal under which Turkey has curbed the flow of migrants - mainly refugees from wars in Syria and Iraq - into the bloc.

"This is our opportunity to take back control of our country," said self-employed Bayram Seker, 42, after voting "Yes" in Istanbul.The referendum has bitterly divided the nation. Erdogan and his supporters say the changes are needed to amend the current constitution, written by generals following a 1980 military coup, confront the security and political challenges Turkey faces, and avoid the fragile coalition governments of the past.

"I don't think one-man rule is such a scary thing. Turkey has been ruled in the past by one man," he said, referring to modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Opponents say it is a step toward greater authoritarianism.

Erdogan and the AK Party enjoyed a disproportionate share of media coverage in the buildup to the vote while the leaders of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP), which opposes the changes, have been in jail for months.

"I voted 'No' because I don't want this whole country and its legislative, executive and judiciary ruled by one man," said Hamit Yaz, 34, a ship's captain, after voting in Istanbul.

Proponents of the reform argue that it would end the current "two-headed system" in which both the president and parliament are directly elected, a situation they argue could lead to deadlock. Until 2014, presidents were chosen by parliament.

The government says Turkey, faced with conflict to the south in Syria and Iraq, and a security threat from Islamic State and PKK militants, needs strong and clear leadership.

The package of 18 amendments would give the president the authority to draft the budget, declare a state of emergency and issue decrees overseeing ministries without parliamentary approval.

Tweet

Jose Mourinho believes he is held to a different standard to other Premier League managers, including Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.

Manchester United take on Mourinho 's former side Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon looking to close the gap on the top four, while their opponents lead the race for the title.

Bur while Conte has been hailed for the rapid change in fortunes at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho believes he would be criticised for employing a similar style to the Italian, while his record in his first season at United is analysed in a negative way.

The Portuguese pointed to United's strong away record, and League Cup victory, as positives quickly forgotten by his detractors.

He told Sky Sports: "I know that you like to criticise me, so when I was winning titles with Chelsea, you were criticising the style of play. In this moment to be the best counterattacking team in the country is not to be criticised anymore - it is an amazing thing."But the reality is the best team is the team that wins more matches and at the end of the season are champions, and obviously we are far from it."

Mourinho added: "It depends on how you analyse it. You could say my record at home is very bad, or my record away from home is very good. You say my home record is very bad.

"You could say I win a trophy in my first season but you forget it too soon."

Mourinho admits that United need to be challenging for titles rather than Champions League qualification, but has outlined five factors that he believes make up a successful first campaign in Manchester.

"For me a good season is to be ready for every match, to fight every match for the best result and to defend Man United prestige," he said. "To play for the fans, for the love they have for the team and for the club to play every match with a great attitude.

"We could have better results but we could also have worse results. The Europa League is one (competition), eight teams can win it and we are one of the eight teams.

"In the Premier League we are not fighting for the title, we are fighting for top four which is an important thing but the nature of this club is to fight for titles and the only title we can win now is the Europa League."

Tweet

Perhaps more than any other feature of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the stage and space designed by the Los Angeles-based Do Lab gives fans the impression of a mirage wavering in the dusty desert heat.

Tilted, rickety-looking towers made of wooden pallets defined the Do Lab’s creation one year. Another time, rainbow-striped fabric spiraled up trumpet-shaped frames that doubled as sculptures and sun shades.

On Friday, April 14, Coachella-goers were greeted with a new design: an origami-like dome with eight triangular openings, rising to a sort of smokestack in the center and stretched with blue, orange and yellow fabric.

Founded by twins Josh and Jesse Flemming and their younger brother Dede, the Do Lab is back for a 13th year at the ever-expanding music festival at Indio’s Empire Polo Club.

And the aesthetic they absorbed on visits to Burning Man has added a touch of fantastic chaos to the well-oiled machine Coachella has become.

The festival gates opened Friday to 125,000 people for the first of two weekends of large-scale art installations, culinary offerings such as Peruvian burritos and artisanal marshmallow s’mores, and wide-ranging musical performances including Friday-night headliner Radiohead, with Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar to follow on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Even with the weather at a manageable high-80s level for opening day, the Do Lab was crowded with people seeking the annual ritual of dancing ’til they broke a sweat, then basking in the spray of water guns fired from the stage.

EVOLVING EXPERIMENT

The idea for the Do Lab was born around 2004, when the Flemming brothers – Pennsylvania transplants looking for creative careers in Los Angeles – realized their TV production jobs weren’t stimulating, Dede Flemming said.

Jesse played in a band, Josh worked on lighting and then set designs for his shows, and Dede helped.

“We were always just trying to go the extra mile and just make things more visually appealing,” Dede said.

Meanwhile, they were going to festivals and drawing inspiration from the creative anarchy of Burning Man, which creates an ephemeral city of art in the Nevada desert.

The Do Lab’s first year building at Coachella was 2005, when the brothers made what they considered an art project, a 60-foot geodesic dome with sculptures and water misters that was a place to cool off.

But since they bring music wherever they go, Jesse Flemming said, “It kind of turned into this little party inside the middle of the festival.”

Coachella invited them back, and they began experimenting with different types of building materials and bigger structures. Meanwhile, the Do Lab became known as a stage for not just music but performance art, with the audience as part of the act.

People wear glitter, sequins and fur, and everybody dances with abandon, said fan Heidi Hernandez, 32, who comes from Las Vegas to attend the festival.

“Everywhere you turn something new and cool is happening,” she said. “You literally just turn into like a wild animal there, but you don’t feel weird about doing it.”

That’s what the Do Lab is aiming for: an immersive experience, Jesse said.

“We always enjoyed it when the show was kind of surrounding you and performers were popping up all over the place and things got really weird, and it kind of gave people the freedom to express themselves.”

The Do Lab’s evolution from a simple shady space wth a DJ to a work of art you can dance in somewhat describes what has happened to festival culture at large. And many of the artists who have started at the Do Lab have graduated to spots on Coachella’s other stages. Others come back to do hotly anticipated “surprise” sets at the Do Lab.

Coachella now features major art installations and an array of food offerings in addition to a varied menu of music, and other events compete to give fans something memorable and unique.

“Festivals have recognized that it is the (overall) experience,” said Tucker Gumber, of Los Angeles, an avid fan who created a festival smartphone app FestEvo and by this summer will have clocked 10,0000 hours at festivals.

“Every minute of every day needs to be fun, not just the headliners,” he said. “It needs to be an adventure.”

Tweet