Lin Yu-kai registers to run for Kaohsiung city council, with Ko Wen-je accompanying him to canvass for votes

Taiwan's small opposition party TPP is putting nearly all its Kaohsiung hopes on one candidate, a sign of how thin its base is in the city.

• Lin Yu-kai registered to run for Kaohsiung city council in Sanmin district under the Taiwan People's Party banner.
• Party founder Ko Wen-je came south to walk the market with him, drawing a line of fans for photos before pitching vendors for support.
• The TPP nominated only one city council candidate in all of Kaohsiung, making this race its lone test in a DPP stronghold.
• Lin has switched camps repeatedly, winning the same seat for the New Power Party in 2018 before quitting in 2024 and joining the TPP this February.
• Ko framed the campaign as lighting a spark for a new political option in Taiwan.

Outlook: The 2026 local elections will show whether Ko still has enough personal pull to win the TPP a foothold in southern Taiwan.