Taiwan's local elections move into their formal stage this week, with candidate registration in Taichung drawing a show of party unity from all three main parties.

• Registration for the nine-in-one local elections runs from August 31 to September 4.
• Taichung mayoral hopefuls follow one another: the DPP's Ho Hsin-chun on September 2, the KMT's Chiang Chi-chen on September 3.
• The opening day brings a crowd — eight DPP council candidates, eight younger KMT council members, and six from the Taiwan People's Party all filing at the same park.
• TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang plans to accompany his party's candidates, while each big party turns its mayoral filing into a mass rally of council candidates.

Outlook: Expect campaigning to shift into high gear once filing closes in early September, with Taichung shaping up as a straight DPP-KMT contest.