The Democratic Progressive Party's New Tide faction in Taichung has fielded 15 city council candidates, signalling its ambition to capture a majority of seats and putting direct pressure on the administration of Mayor Lu Shiow-yen.

• Registration for Taichung's mayoral and city council elections runs from 31 August to 4 September, with the New Tide's 15 candidates registering as a group led by Tsai Chi-chang, the DPP's Legislative Yuan caucus whip.
• Eleven of the 15 are incumbent councillors seeking re-election and four are newcomers, spread across 14 electoral districts.
• Their main line of attack targets the city government's performance: delays in new metro construction, accumulating rubbish, child abuse cases and public safety problems.
• The New Tide and the Cheng Kuo faction attended the registration together, effectively declaring party unity and an intention to hit a "home run" by winning every district.

Outlook: Once registration closes, the campaign begins in earnest, with the contest between the Kuomintang and the DPP for Taichung council seats set to revolve around attacks and defences over the city government's record.