Taiwan's two main opposition parties are publicly falling out over who gets to run for mayor in Zhubei, a bad sign for their plan to team up against the ruling party in the 2026 local elections.

• TPP leader Huang Kuo-chang accused the KMT of breaking its word on a deal that would have let his party take the Zhubei mayor race.
• The understanding was that the TPP would back the KMT's candidate for Hsinchu county chief and get Zhubei in return.
• KMT chair Cheng Li-wun said she understands the frustration but will not budge, calling Zhubei a special case with its own local politics.
• The TPP is pushing ahead anyway and will register Chiu Chen-yuan as its candidate, setting up a three-way fight.

Outlook: Both sides say they still want to cooperate elsewhere, but a contested Zhubei race risks splitting the opposition vote and handing the seat to the ruling DPP.