Taiwan's opposition parties have failed to agree on a joint candidate in Zhubei, a split that mostly helps the ruling DPP heading into the year-end local elections.

• The KMT and the Taiwan People's Party will each run their own candidate for Zhubei mayor after cooperation talks broke down.
• TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang accuses the KMT of breaking its word; the KMT is calling for patience and unity.
• The KMT is also fighting with itself over its Changhua county pick, so the cracks are internal as well as between the two parties.
• Analysts warn a strong hand has been played badly, and the split could cost the opposition seats it was expected to win in several counties.
• Ko Wen-je, speaking separately on the economy, predicted Taiwan's stock index could push past 50,000 on the global AI money wave, while warning that chip growth will eventually hit a physical ceiling.

Outlook: Candidate registration opens at the end of the month, and unless the two parties patch things up quickly the divided opposition heads into the vote — and the 2028 presidential race — badly weakened.