Taiwan's opposition pact between the KMT and the TPP has broken down in Zhubei, with both parties now running candidates against each other — bad news for anyone hoping the two could unite against the ruling DPP.

• The TPP and KMT had agreed to split turf in Hsinchu, but the deal fell apart and both registered candidates for Zhubei mayor.
• TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang blamed the other side for breaking its word, saying voters can judge who lacks integrity.
• In Hualien there is no such fight, because the KMT did not nominate anyone for mayor at all.
• Ko Wen-je called the Hualien race baffling: one brother running for mayor under the KMT while the other runs for county chief as an independent.
• The DPP has skipped nominations for both Hualien mayor and county chief, which the TPP is casting as giving up on the area.

Outlook: With the alliance broken in Zhubei, the KMT and TPP look set to split the opposition vote in the coming local elections.