Taiwan's opposition KMT is under pressure after new party leader Cheng Li-wun framed the next election as a fight between the KMT and its own ally, the smaller TPP — bad news for a partnership that was supposed to unseat the ruling DPP.

• Talk of a "blue-white showdown" exposes that the KMT and the TPP are competing, not cooperating.
• The KMT is taking hits on several fronts at once, raising fears one loss could trigger a chain of others.
• A broken opposition alliance splits the anti-DPP vote and helps the ruling party.
• Cheng's harder line risks pushing TPP voters away rather than pulling them in.

Outlook: Expect messy bargaining between the two opposition parties over who yields in which race, with the DPP the likely winner if they cannot agree.