KIEV, Nov. 30 – Ukraine may go ahead and amend its constitution through nationwide referendum without going through a lengthy process of debating and approving amendments in Parliament, Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych said Friday.

The comment raises fresh concerns among opposition leaders in Ukraine that President Viktor Yanukovych may be seeking to amend the constitution to allow election of the next president in Parliament.

The plan is believed to be the only way for Yanukovych to secure his re-election to the next five-year term in office in March 2015, after recent parliamentary elections showed wide ranging discontent with his policies.

“I believe it is quite normal for Ukraine to approve amendments to the current constitution in those sections that is needed,” Lavrynovych said at Shuster Live television talk show. “There are no restrictions for using referendums. Amendments can be made to all sections.”

The comments come days after Yanukovych has signed into law a legislation that regulates the use of referendums in Ukraine.

The issue of amending the constitution through referendums is highly sensitive and may be contradicting the current legislation, which calls for the amendments to be approved by Parliament only.

“The way the legislation is formulated, it can be used for mean and doubtful purposes,” Leonid Kravchuk, a former President of Ukraine and the leader of the constitutional panel. “We, after adopting this legislation without having high political culture and common political freedom on many political issues, can open Pandora's box."

Yanukovych’s Regions Party performed poorly at the latest parliamentary elections on October 28 and is now struggling trying to create a 226-seat majority in the 450-seat Parliament.

Any constitutional amendment currently would have to be approved by 300-seat majority, a task that will be nearly impossible in the new Parliament, leaving Yanukovych the only option of pushing the amendments through the referendum.

Larvynovych, a long-time loyalist of Yanukovych, was elected to Parliament on the list of the Regions Party and is believed to be a favorite for nomination to the post of the speaker of Parliament.

Yuriy Karmazyn, a lawmaker from the opposition Our Ukraine group, said the referendum bill that was recently approved by Parliament and signed by Yanukovych, was effectively drafted and coordinated by the Justice Ministry.

“The Justice Ministry was indicated as a source in the properties section of a computer file containing the bill, which was submitted to Parliament,” Karmazyn said.

Lavrynovych said that the referendum can be used, for example, to reduce the number of lawmakers in Parliament to 300 seats from 450 seats, or to eliminate immunity from prosecution that is currently enjoyed by lawmakers.

“These issues can be solved through referendums and it’s very easy to predict the result of such referendum,” Lavrynovych said. (tl/ez)