BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — This mountainous republic has 4.2 million people, twice as many sheep and a reputation among approving Westerners as the most liberal of the five new Central Asian nations.

On Saturday, however, Kyrgyzstan held a referendum on constitutional changes that some observers think may lead it away from democracy and toward stronger presidential rule.

Official results were not available, but a turnout of better than 74% was thought to ensure that popular President Askar Akayev will win the "yes" vote he seeks.

"It's a feature of our people," said Jenish Sasekbayev, a Bishkek computer specialist, after he cast his vote. "Even if he has no bread in his house, a Kyrgyz will say his government is good."

If the "yes" vote prevails, it will be partly a legacy from Soviet days, when voters knew what was expected of them. It will also mean a seal of approval for Akayev, a 49-year-old former math professor who has endeared himself to the West by moving his country quickly toward free-market reform but who has also dissolved his Parliament and shut down two newspapers that criticized him.

Diplomats point out that the referendum question contradicts Kyrgyzstan's new constitution--signed by Akayev--which says that only Parliament and the constitutional court can make constitutional changes.

"Why play with the system so that the president can control it?" said Nikolai Kokhanov, a Communist who edits the Pravda Kyrgyzstan newspaper. "The president used to say the constitution is democratic, and experts agreed. But after a year, the president decided to make changes in the constitution."

The results of the referendum will determine whether Kyrgyzstan should have a slimmed-down, professional Parliament to replace the old Soviet-era legislature, which Akayev disbanded in September. Voters were also asked whether important political decisions may in the future be decided by referendum.

The president's critics say he is trying to set up a system that will be easier for him to control. The two-house system he prefers would put a body of 35 members in charge of day-to-day legislative work. A larger house of 70 lawmakers would meet only occasionally.

The government argues that a small, professional Parliament would be more efficient than the old legislature, whose unruly deputies were paralyzed by internal intrigue.

Akayev has called for new elections in December, but a majority of deputies said they will boycott.