The deal between Taiwan's KMT and the TPP to share candidacies in Hsinchu County has broken down, a setback for both opposition parties hoping to avoid splitting the anti-DPP vote.

• The TPP says the two sides agreed to a swap: it would back the KMT in the county magistrate race in exchange for KMT support for its Zhubei mayor candidate, Chiu Chen-yuan.
• The KMT ran its own primary anyway and nominated Wu Hsu-chih, who has now filed to register.
• Nothing was ever put in writing, so each party is describing the deal its own way, and the KMT's national leadership has no power to force local branches to stand down.
• KMT grassroots in Hsinchu County resent a backroom deal made over their heads, having run the county for more than 24 years with Zhubei as their strongest base.
• The TPP is digging in because its voter base there is real — Ko Wen-je took nearly 38% of Zhubei in the 2024 presidential race — and it needs to hold ground in the region.

Outlook: Expect a three-way fight in Zhubei unless the two party chairs strike a public, binding deal soon, with the TPP publicly blaming Cheng Li-wun for reneging.