KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine President Leonid Kuchma won a mandate to expand his control over an unruly parliament that he accuses of derailing reforms, results of a referendum showed Monday.
The nationwide referendum that ended Sunday evening is just a first step. Parliament must pass each question as a constitutional amendment, a long procedure that could provoke a deep political crisis in Ukraine.The referendum asked Ukrainians whether they wanted to create a new, 300-member bicameral parliament and strip legislators of immunity from prosecution.
Voters were also asked to give Kuchma the right to disband parliament if lawmakers fail to form a stable pro-government majority within a month or don't pass a budget within three months.
Initial voter turnout figures were an unexpectedly high 78.77 percent, far surpassing the 50 percent needed to make the referendum valid, said Mykhailo Riabets, chairman of the Central Election Commission.
With all of the 28.65 million ballots counted, support for the four referendum questions hovered at between 81.8 percent to 89.9 percent, Riabets said.
The independent Ukrainian Voters' Committee reported some election violations. Riabets said the reports were inconsistent, but his panel would investigate.
Kuchma initiated the referendum in January after years of feuding with the 450-member parliament, or Verkhovna Rada, once dominated by Communists and other hard-liners.
Although a new pro-government majority has been created in parliament, Kuchma insists it was not stable enough to help Ukraine overcome its post-Soviet economic decline.
Analysts say parliament is unlikely to pass all the amendments.
Kuchma indicated he might disband parliament if it fails to approve the changes.
Political opponents say Kuchma, a former Soviet missile plant director, is trying to create a pocket parliament.