The role of the political center in centrifugal party systems has long been viewed as problematic by researchers, who have argued that it actually feeds the disintegration process. This view seems at odds, though, with the perspective of US foreign-policy-makers, who have frequently seen the center as a vehicle for leading democratic transitions. Evidence from the case of El Salvador suggests that these two views may not be as contradictory as they first appear. The evolution of the Salvadoran party system from 1982 to the present points to a shifting role for the center, wherein it first facilitated a limited transition toward democracy, but later may have obstructed a consolidation or deepening of democracy.
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