Taiwan's 2026 local elections took shape as candidate registration closed, setting up a four-way fight for mayor of Tainan.

• Four candidates registered for Tainan mayor: Hsieh Lung-chieh of the KMT, Chen Ting-fei of the ruling DPP, plus a minor-party and an independent contender.
• The race is effectively a head-to-head between the two big parties in a city the DPP has long held.
• 88 people signed up to run for the city council across 13 districts, competing for 57 seats.
• Council candidates span the DPP, KMT, Taiwan People's Party, TSU, Taiwan Statebuilding Party and independents.
• Competition is lopsided by district — some have a dozen candidates, others just two.

Outlook: Campaigning now runs to the November vote, with Tainan one of the key tests of whether the DPP can hold its southern stronghold.