KIEV, April 14 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine’s acting President Olexander Turchynov said Monday a nationwide referendum on the form of government in Ukraine could be held along with the country’s presidential election on May 25.
“We are not against holding the referendum. Moreover, I am convinced that most Ukrainians at this referendum, which would be held together with the presidential election after a parliamentary decree, will vote for an undivided, democratic and unitary Ukraine,” Turchynov said during a meeting with leaders of parliament.
Ukraine underwent a regime change in February that resembled a military coup. The country’s parliament ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, amended the constitution and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25.
Protests for federalization, centered in the cities of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk, have swept across Ukraine’s eastern and southeastern regions. The demonstrators have been calling for Crimea-style referendums on the status of their regions within Ukraine. The government in Kiev, which has accused the protestors of separatism, has vowed a harsh crackdown.
