Brazil’s new “Center”: a viable alternative to the extremes?

To borrow a phrase from historian Eric Hobsbawm, Brazil lives in an era of extremes. On one side, we have far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who has launched a new political party with  “Judeo-Christian” values and staunch opposition to gun control at its core. On the other side, we have the Workers’ Party. While remaining a center-left force, the party led by former President Lula has opted for more radical rhetoric—galvanizing anti-Bolsonaro voters but alienating those in the center.

Spearheaded by House Speaker Rodrigo Maia, a group of political parties is trying to pander precisely to this “neither, nor” group—the section of the electorate that is neither a fan of Jair Bolsonaro, nor a Lula believer. Simply called “Center,” Mr. Maia and his allies are trying to emerge as a viable force between the Workers’ Party and Bolsonarism.

Without much fanfare, the “Center” launched its own digital platform and has shared three videos on social media, trying to sell voters on the idea that a moderate voice is crucial to advance important agendas in Brazil. 

One of them (below, in Portuguese) claims that the group does not “see the world as [one] thinks it should be, but...