Taiwan's Central Election Commission has said it will not intervene in the eligibility review of mainland Chinese spouse Lee Chen-hsiu's bid for mayor of Zhubei, tossing the ball back to the local authority — bad news for her election prospects.

• Lee Chen-hsiu, a former Taiwan People's Party legislator and a mainland Chinese spouse, has announced she will run for mayor of Zhubei City, Hsinchu County.
• Central Election Commission Chairman Yu Ying-lung said eligibility to run for township and city mayor is determined by the Hsinchu County Election Commission, and that the CEC will step in only if there is a dispute.
• The sticking point is a new interpretation issued by the Mainland Affairs Council in April this year: a candidate must have submitted proof of having renounced their mainland Chinese household registration at least 10 years earlier before they can register to run for public office.
• Lee only filed that proof in March last year, and under the new rule she may fail to clear the eligibility hurdle.
• Yu stressed that the point at issue does not yet touch on the Nationality Act; it is simply a determination of whether the 10-year naturalisation period has been met, and the CEC respects the Mainland Affairs Council's decision.

Outlook: The Hsinchu County Election Commission's ruling will determine whether she can register, and other prospective candidates who are mainland Chinese spouses could be affected by the same new rule.