A fight over vote-buying claims in Hualien has broken out in Taiwan's legislature, putting KMT caucus leader Fu Kun-chi on the defensive as election season nears.

• A former Financial Times correspondent in Taiwan, Kathrin Hille, said in an interview that every vote in Hualien is bought.
• Fu Kun-chi, the KMT's caucus whip and Hualien's dominant political figure, hit back and demanded she produce evidence.
• DPP lawmaker Chen Pei-yu said Hille never named a party or a politician, so Fu's angry reaction shows a guilty conscience.
• Chen also said Fu has no standing to speak for all Hualien residents, and called for prosecutors to act early on vote-buying before this year's elections.
• The clash lands as the new legislative session opens with a fight over the central government budget, which the DPP accuses the opposition of gutting.

Outlook: Expect vote-buying accusations to keep flaring as Taiwan heads into local elections, with the budget battle running alongside it.