Centrists

The Centrists, also known as the centrist faction, were one of the two major political factions in the Galactic Senate of the New Republic. They advocated for a more powerful executive and military and valued the rule of law and order; such as the centralization of political power and galactic unity, with some senators even even supporting the return of certain aspects of the Galactic Empire.

The Centrists were formed from a remnant of the Galactic Empire composed of worlds in the inner systems in the immediate aftermath of the Galactic Civil War following the establishment of the New Republic. Paralyzed by internal strife, they quickly disintegrated, leading several of these former Imperial worlds to be admitted into the New Republic, and remerged from politicians who had not been involved in the Galactic Civil War, which evolved into the Centrists, an unofficial faction in the Galactic Senate alongside the Populists, who adopted a libertarian ideology, and favored planetary sovereignty and autonomy, and for the decentralization of the New Republic.

By 29 ABY, the Centrists secretly had ties with the First Order, the fascist military junta and a successor of the Galactic Empire, with Centrists senators manipulating the Galactic Senate on the First Order behalf. The political gridlock that ensued culminated in some Centrists breaking away from the New Republic and joining with the First Order.

Text and facts from the “Centrists” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.