Registration for Taiwan's 2026 local elections opened on its first day, with the Democratic Progressive Party fielding a joint push by seven candidates in New Taipei, aiming to secure a majority in the city council — positive news for the party's governing plans in New Taipei.

• The Cheng Kuo Faction, a faction within the DPP, put forward seven candidates for the New Taipei City Council, including three incumbent councillors and four newcomers, who went together to the election commission to collect registration forms in a show of momentum.
• The goal is to give the DPP a majority of seats in the New Taipei City Council, providing backing for the party's mayoral candidate, Su Chiao-hui.
• Most of the four newcomers have backgrounds as political aides or in local constituency service, and two of them are the children of a sitting councillor and a sitting legislator.
• The constituencies cover densely populated areas of New Taipei including Banqiao, Xinzhuang, Sanchong-Luzhou, Xindian, and Tucheng-Shulin-Yingge.

Outlook: The DPP's New Taipei team will hold a joint mayoral and council candidate registration press conference on Wednesday this week, formally moving the campaign into its mobilisation phase.