Referendum Doesn’t End Power Struggle

Voters have given Ukrainian President Leonid D. Kuchma a strong mandate to expand his controls over an unruly parliament, but the vote alone does not ensure him a decisive victory in his power struggle with legislators. During a weekend referendum, voters overwhelmingly approved four Kuchma proposals that would alter parliament. However, the proposals still require approval of parliament itself, and if it is withheld, a deep political crisis could ensue. The referendum was intended to resolve a long-standing conflict between supporters of liberal economic reforms and those nostalgic for more stable Soviet times and state controls.