A former KMT official in Taichung has registered to run for city council without party approval, exposing an open rift in the local party as election season begins.

• Chang Shu-hua registered as a candidate in Taiping district despite not quitting the KMT or getting a party nomination.
• Two former Taichung KMT chairmen, Lin Min-lin and Yen Wen-cheng, stood with him at the registration, a public show of defiance.
• The party picked only its two sitting councillors by direct appointment instead of holding a primary, which critics call too cautious given the KMT's local vote strength.
• Another would-be candidate, a local village chief, quit the party outright rather than break the rules.
• The Taichung party office plans a discipline hearing and will announce punishment the same day.

Outlook: Chang faces likely expulsion or suspension, and the party must decide whether to also punish the two senior figures who backed him.