Taiwan's opposition alliance between the KMT and the Taiwan People's Party has broken down in Zhubei, a bad sign for both parties heading into local elections.

• Talks over a joint candidate for Zhubei mayor fell apart, and TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang publicly accused KMT Hsinchu County candidate Hsu Hsin-ying of lying.
• Hsu denies ever offering to step aside in Zhubei and says the TPP never promised to back her in a primary.
• Huang said breaking a promise was bad enough, and that carrying on lying would only make things worse.
• TPP Zhubei candidate Chiu Chen-yuan responded that honesty is the core value of politics.
• The fight lands as the TPP builds out its Taipei city council slate, leaning on the record of former chairman Ko Wen-je.

Outlook: With the two opposition parties trading accusations instead of splitting races, both risk dividing their vote in Hsinchu and beyond.