With Taiwan's 2026 local elections entering the final stretch, the governing Democratic Progressive Party is treating the disinformation offensive as the biggest threat — bad news for the tone of the campaign, and a wild card in the blue-green contest in Taipei.

• At a Central Standing Committee meeting, Lai Ching-te warned that disinformation and cognitive operations will intensify in the late stages of the campaign, calling on the whole party to verify and clarify immediately and not be drawn into the opposition's framing of issues.
• He noted that the greatest danger comes not only from AI-generated fake audio and video and online troll armies from abroad, but also from "attacks from within" — quoting out of context, applying negative labels, and smearing candidates and their families across the board.
• He said the real harm of disinformation is that it destroys social trust and depresses the willingness to vote, and that democracy should not become a contest of division and confrontation.

• The race for Taipei mayor is white-hot: Chiang Wan-an is dogged by controversies and on the defensive, while Shen Po-yang's popularity is rising but he is under fire over past remarks on "decriminalising drugs"; the outcome still hinges on undecided centrist voters.
• The latest polls show Lai Ching-te's satisfaction and trust ratings both above 50 percent, with Taipei residents reporting the highest satisfaction with the economy of anywhere in the country, as the traditional blue and green core bases loosen.

Outlook: In the 52 days before polling day, disinformation and personal attacks will only grow more intense, and both of the hard-fought races in Taipei and New Taipei could be decided by a margin of a few tens of thousands of votes.