He's certainly not a centrist when you look at his track record with the labor bill and the sell-off of Alstom.  Macron being presented as a centrist probably means that he's the elite's new pawn.  And words are important.  What would we choose between a centrist and a far-right politician, considering the historical connotations?

However, I don't believe that Macron is close to Chavez.  His campaign and past actions point in the direction of ultra-liberalism.  He certainly doesn't want to lead a strong and quite isolated government based on protectionism.