Two months before Taiwan's 2026 local elections, cracks have appeared in the cooperation between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) — bad news for both parties, and an opportunity for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

• Negotiations over a candidate for Zhubei mayor broke down, leaving TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang and his supporters dissatisfied.
• The rift has spilled over into Yilan, where some supporters say they have had enough and no longer want to back the KMT's candidate.
• Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an has been labelled as benefiting from "privilege" after his son secured a city government-funded exchange student place.
• New Taipei has become the most critical battleground, with the latest polls showing Lee Shih-chuan leading Su Chiao-hui by about 7 percentage points.
• Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States in late September for another meeting with Trump, with attention focused on how far the Taiwan issue will be discussed.

Outlook: With the campaign entering its most intense phase, whether the KMT and TPP can repair their cooperation and whether Chiang Wan-an can shake off the privilege controversy will determine the direction of the two major battlegrounds of Taipei and New Taipei.