Taiwan's local election season has its first bribery arrest, a bad sign for the clean-election push ahead of the 2026 vote.

• A sitting village chief in Taoyuan's Pingzhen district was caught handing NT$400,000 to a rival to drop out of the race.
• Investigators watched the handover in person and arrested both men on the spot, seizing the cash.
• The chief was released on bail after questioning; the man who took the money was let go without bail.
• Prosecutors say the charge is serious — paying a qualified candidate to quit is a crime under Taiwan's election law.
• Taoyuan prosecutors are promising aggressive enforcement and are asking the public to report vote-buying through a free hotline.

Outlook: More cases are likely as prosecutors ramp up scrutiny in the run-up to the local elections.