Taiwan's opposition is sharpening its attack on the ruling DPP ahead of local elections, framing recall drives and the Cabinet's refusal to countersign laws as damage to democracy itself — bad news for the DPP's image abroad, useful ammunition for the KMT-TPP alliance.

• Legislative Yuan speaker Han Kuo-yu called the wave of recall votes and the Cabinet's refusal to countersign passed laws anti-democratic, saying he now feels hollow when he tells visiting foreign lawmakers Taiwan's democracy is mature.
• He questioned why Keelung mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang faced a recall at all, and warned the tactic could spread to city councillors and village chiefs after this election.
• The KMT-TPP tie-up is getting tighter: Taichung mayor Lu Shiu-yen is serving as honorary campaign chair for a TPP council candidate, which she called her first cross-party campaign role in 30 years in politics.
• With 48 days to the November 28 vote, the Taipei mayor race between Chiang Wan-an and Shen Po-yang has turned into a daily exchange of accusations over smears and crisis spin.
• Two quieter stories are moving in the background: the US defense department is reported to be planning to embed policy officials inside Taiwan's defense ministry, and the economics ministry has slipped nuclear power back into its energy plan without any public announcement.

Outlook: Expect the opposition to keep hammering the "anti-democracy" line through late November, while the DPP avoids drawing attention to its nuclear rethink before voters go to the polls.