Centrism
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Centrism is a set of political positions that lie between the "left" and "right" wings of the political spectrum. The term is usually applied to a global spectrum of political philosophies and ideologies, not to those of single nations, as their political centers tend to differ strongly based on history, culture and the state of development. As a result, a party that might be centrist in a global sense, such as the American Democratic Party, might be seen as "left" in its own national context.
In established democracies, it is usually highly beneficial for a party to occupy most of the territory in the middle of the spectrum (especially in majoritarian electoral systems), as this is where the coveted swing votes are to be found. Hence, parties often strive to occupy a center-left or center-right position, or at least try to brand themselves as such. While pure "centrist" parties have a mixed record of electoral success, advancing centrist policies to some extent is a popular strategy among parties in modern developed nations. As always, there are exceptions.
Some centrist parties and politicians might endorse the Third Way.
[edit] Centrist parties
- Democratic Party
- In Germany both dominant political parties claim to be centrists — considering that their policies are almost identical, they might have a point.
- The Democratic Movement in France is a centrist party with reasonable success.
- Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in Ireland both follow centrist approaches.
- United Future in New Zealand is an exclusively centrist party.
- Almost all of the Pirate Parties are centrist parties with special interest in civil rights and copyright reform.