Taiwan's opposition KMT is heading into the Changhua county chief race badly split, a mess that helps the ruling DPP's candidate.

• The party skipped a local primary and handpicked lawyer Wei Ping-cheng as its candidate, angering several local hopefuls who had been campaigning for months.
• Sitting county chief Wang Hui-mei broke down in public and said the pick was likely decided in secret late last year, long before the process appeared to be open.
• Wang feels shut out and is refusing to help — she turned down the campaign chair job, skipped the candidate registration, and would not even take his invitation in person.
• Wei has been bowing and pleading for her backing, but so far she is not budging.
• Changhua is the biggest county outside Taiwan's six main cities, so a loss there would dent party leader Cheng Li-wun's authority and could spill into other local races.

Outlook: With registration closed there is no way back, and the KMT looks set to fight this race without its most popular local figure behind it.