A public rift has opened inside Taiwan's KMT ahead of local elections, with Changhua County Magistrate Wang Hui-mei in tears over being left unsupported by her own party — bad news for KMT unity in a key county.

• Wang Hui-mei criticized the party's central leadership after waiting two hours for a call from KMT chair Cheng Li-wun that never came.
• The clash follows blue-camp anger that she had not publicly backed the party's candidate for Changhua magistrate, Wei Ping-cheng.
• No KMT colleagues have publicly come to her defense, leaving her isolated inside her own camp.
• The only public support came from Hsihu township mayor Ho Ping-hua, an independent, who said candidates must win on their own effort rather than lean on someone else's endorsement.

Outlook: The feud points to a messy KMT campaign in Changhua, with pressure on Wang to fall in line or stay on the sidelines.