A small alliance of Taiwan's minor progressive parties has put up two candidates for Kaohsiung's next city council election, a modest but notable challenge to the city's dominant parties.

• Taiwan Forward — a joint front of the Taiwan Statebuilding Party, New Power Party, Green Party Taiwan, and the Obasang Political Equality Party — registered two council candidates in Kaohsiung.
• Yu Hsien-ling is running in the Cianjhen–Siaogang district, her third try after 2018 and 2022, arguing life there has not improved in eight years.
• Her platform focuses on childcare, road safety, jobs that don't wreck the environment, and elderly care, plus more space and mental health support for teenagers.
• Hsueh Chao-chi is running in Zuoying–Nanzih on a plan for a dedicated senior affairs bureau, aiming to make Kaohsiung the first city in Taiwan with full elder care.
• Party leaders showed up to back both, pitching them as long-time local organizers rather than parachuted names.

Outlook: Both face steep odds in districts the major parties control, and elder care looks set to be a central issue in the campaign.