Serhiy Slabenko's decision to join the "Center" deputy group is a choice in favor of the opposition forces in the Verkhovna Rada, the people's deputy stated at a press conference for local media in the city of Lutsk. \n"The events surrounding the rejection of constitutional changes on April 8 demonstrated that there is a certain number of deputies in parliament who have their own clear and independent opinion regarding the most important political issues and do not agree with the pressure from Bankova and the position of the so-called 'majority' in adopting draft laws. Therefore, at present the 'Center' group is a kind of third force in parliament, whose members on most issues are in opposition to the authorities. The urgent revision of the 'majority' by the authorities in order to have 300 votes in September under any conditions and thus adopt changes to the Fundamental Law of the state, as well as the opportunity given to V. Lytvyn to head the People's Agrarian Party, prompted a group of deputies to join the ranks of the 'people's agrarians' and in this way determine their political future," the statement by Serhiy Slabenko reads. \nAs a result of the transfer of 5 deputies to the APU faction, the very existence of the deputy group "Center" as an alternative to the parliamentary-government coalition was called into question. "My decision to join this deputy group is prompted by the fact that the center-right position of 'Center' on issues of constitutional changes today is a likely guarantee that the authorities will not succeed in carrying out a review of the Fundamental Law of Ukraine at their own discretion in the autumn of 2004," Serhiy Slabenko stated. \nLet us recall that on June 17 Serhiy Slabenko joined the "Center" deputy group in the Verkhovna Rada. Before that he was non-factional, and he entered parliament in the majority district No. 19 (city of Volodymyr-Volynskyi) and was a member of the "Our Ukraine" faction. \n