Jump to content

2026 Taiwanese local elections

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2026 Taiwanese local elections
← 2022
28 November 2026 (2026-11-28)
2030 →
22 magistrates/mayors and others
 
Leader Cheng Li-wun Lai Ching-te Huang Kuo-chang
Party KMT DPP TPP
Leader since 1 November 2025 18 January 2023 1 January 2025
Last election 14 seats 5 seats 2 seats
Current seats 14 5 1[a]
Taiwan by administrative divisions

Local elections will be held in Taiwan on 28 November 2026 to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of villages (boroughs) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties (cities). Elected officials would serve a four-year term.

Background

[edit]

The Democratic Progressive Party discussed candidate nomination procedures for the 2026 elections at the party congress held in June 2025.[1] In October 2025, the party named Wang Mei-hui its candidate for the Chiayi mayoralty, Chen Ying for the Taitung County magistracy, and Ho Hsin-chun for Mayor of Taichung.[2] The following month, the DPP formally nominated Su Chiao-hui for Mayor of New Taipei and Chen Pin-an [zh] for the Miaoli County magistracy.[3] In January 2026, the DPP held primaries for candidates contesting the Kaohsiung mayoralty, the Chiayi magistracy, and the Tainan mayoralty. Lai Jui-lung [zh] defeated fellow legislators Chiu Yi-ying, Hsu Chih-chieh, and Lin Tai-hua in Kaohsiung,[4][5] Tsai Yi-yu [zh] finished ahead of Chiayi County Councilor Huang Jung-li [zh],[6] and Chen Ting-fei won the Tainan nomination against Lin Chun-hsien.[7][8] Additional candidates were named by the DPP's Central Executive Committee in April 2026. Huang Shih-chieh received support to run as Mayor of Taoyuan, and Chuang Ching-cheng was nominated for the Hsinchu mayoralty.[9] Puma Shen was named the DPP mayoral candidate for Taipei in May.[10][11]

On 9 September 2025, the New Power Party, Taiwan Statebuilding Party, Taiwan Obasang Political Equality Party and Green Party Taiwan announced that their leaders, Claire Wang, Wang Hsing-huan, Lin Shih-han, and Joyance Wang, respectively, had formed an electoral coalition for the local election.[12] The coalition was formally branded as the Taiwan Go Go alliance in December 2025.[13] In January 2026, the Taiwan Go Go alliance announced a candidate recruitment drive for all seats on the Taipei City Council.[14]

The Kuomintang held its leadership election in October 2025. During her campaign, the winning candidate Cheng Li-wun indicated she would continue the KMT–TPP coalition [zh], respect local decisions about candidacies and back incumbents for reelection. If the Taiwan People's Party and the Kuomintang nominated candidates for the same local office, a cross-party primary would be held to determine the best candidate.[15] Public discussions about an electoral coalition between the two parties began in November 2025.[16] In December 2025, the Kuomintang selected Ko Chih-en as its candidate for the Kaohsiung mayoralty, named Hsieh Lung-chieh [zh] the mayoral candidate for Tainan, and backed Su Ching-chuan in Pingtung County. To replace the term-limited KMT magistrate of Taitung, Yao Ching-ling, the party chose Wu Hsiu-hua.[17][18] The Kuomintang nomination in Hualien County was contested by several party members and aligned independents who sought to end Fu Kun-chi's influence in the area.[19] The Kuomintang nominated Ji'an head Yu Shu-chen for the Hualien magistracy in March 2026, named Chen Yu-jen for Kinmen County, Chang Chia-chun [zh] for Yunlin County, Wu Tsung-hsien [zh] for Yilan County, Weng Shou-liang for Chiayi City and Lee Shu-chuan for New Taipei City.[20][21] Hsu Hsin-ying won the primary for the Hsinchu County magistracy against deputy county magistrate Chen Chien-hsien [zh].[22]

On 28 December 2025, Taiwan People's Party chairman Huang Kuo-chang formally announced his candidacy for the New Taipei mayoralty.[23] In January 2026, the TPP published a white paper describing party polices for the 2026 elections.[24] Chen Wan-hui was named the TPP candidate for Yilan County Magistrate and Chang Chi-kai for the Chiayi mayoralty.[25] Huang suspended his New Taipei mayoral campaign in April 2026, as Lee Shu-chuan became the joint candidate of the KMT and TPP.[26][27] The Taiwan People's Party announced in September 2026 that their partnership with the Kuomintang had ended for political offices in Hsinchu County, as the parties could not agree on a joint mayoral candidate for Zhubei.[28]

On 14 October 2025, the National Security Bureau reported to the legislature that election security measures had entered the planning stage, earlier than in previous election cycles.[29] On 31 October 2025, the Central Election Commission formally scheduled the elections for 28 November 2026.[30] On 20 August 2026, the CEC calculated that 11,051 local public officials would be elected across 18,244 polling stations in 8,906 electoral districts. The electorate was estimated at 19.65 million people, with 600,000 first time voters.[31][32] Candidate registration took place from 31 August to 4 September 2026.[33] After the candidate registration deadline passed, the Central Election Commission determined there were 19,695 total candidates, including 26 mainland spouses.[34] The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau reported on 8 September 2026 that 54 investigations had been conducted into suspected foreign election interference and other instances of possible electoral fraud. The High Prosecutors Office separately tracked over 200 illicit financial transactions connected to potential election interference.[35]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Ann Kao was elected Mayor of Hsinchu in 2022, and withdrew from the party when she was suspended from office in 2024. She did not resume her TPP membership when she returned to office in 2025.

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Wen, Kuei-hsiang; Wu, Kuan-hsien (27 June 2025). "DPP national congress to discuss 2026 election nomination rules". Retrieved 23 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Candidate roll call". Taipei Times. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 24 October 2025.
  3. ↑ Yeh, Su-ping; Hsiao, Hsu-chen (26 November 2025). "DPP names its candidates for New Taipei, Miaoli County local elections". Central News Agency. Retrieved 1 December 2025. Republished as: "DPP names its candidates for New Taipei, Miaoli local elections". Taipei Times. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Yeh, Su-ping; Mazzetta, Matthew (13 January 2026). "Legislator Lai Jui-lung wins DPP Kaohsiung mayoral primary". Central News Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Chen, Cheng-yu; Fion Khan (13 January 2026). "Lai Jui-lung wins DPP primary for Kaohsiung mayoral race". Taipei Times. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Lin, Sean; Mazzetta, Matthew (14 January 2026). "Tsai Yi-yu set to be nominated by DPP as Chiayi magistrate candidate". Central News Agency. Retrieved 14 January 2026. Republished as: "Lawmaker Tsai Yi-yu to run for DPP in Chiayi County". Taipei Times. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 January 2026. and "Tsai Yi-yu wins DPP poll for Chiayi County nominee". Taipei Times. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Yeh, Su-ping; Chang, Jung-hsiang; Hung, Hsueh-kuang; Wang, Cheng-chung; Mazzetta, Mathew; Wu, Kuan-hsien (15 January 2026). "DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei set to run for Tainan mayor". Central News Agency. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Chen, Cheng-yu; Hung, Jui-chin; Fion Khan (15 January 2026). "DPP's Chen Ting-fei to run for Tainan mayor". Taipei Times. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  9. ↑ Kao, Evelyn; Yeh, Su-ping (15 April 2026). "DPP names candidates for Taoyuan, Hsinchu mayoral races". Central News Agency. Retrieved 16 April 2026. Republished as: "DPP names Taoyuan, Hsinchu mayoral candidates". Taipei Times. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  10. ↑ Lin, Sean. "DPP taps Puma Shen for Taipei mayoral race". Central News Agency. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Chen, Cheng-yu; Younger, Hollie. "DPP picks Puma Shen for Taipei mayoral race". Taipei Times. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Wang, Yang-yu; Wu, Kuan-hsien (9 September 2025). "Taiwan's smaller parties form alliance for 2026 local elections". Central News Agency. Retrieved 10 September 2025. Republished as: "Independence-leaning parties form an alliance". Taipei Times. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  13. ↑ Chen, Chun-hua; Wu, Kuan-hsien (16 December 2025). "Progressive parties formally launch 2026 election alliance". Central News Agency. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  14. ↑ Tsai, Kai-heng; Pan, Jason (26 January 2026). "Alliance to run in Taipei". Taipei Times. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  15. ↑ Yang, Chun-Chieh (20 October 2025). "Cheng Li-wun Elected KMT Chair Amid Three Major Challenges". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  16. ↑ Liu, Kuan-ting; Kuo, Chien-shen; Yeh, Su-ping; Mazzetta, Matthew (19 November 2025). "KMT, TPP leaders meet to discuss possible electoral collaboration". Retrieved 20 November 2025.
  17. ↑ Liu, Kuan-ting; Mazzetta, Matthew (24 December 2025). "KMT announces raft of nominees for southern Taiwan local elections". Central News Agency. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  18. ↑ Wong, Yu-huang (28 December 2025). "Huang Kuo-chang declares candidacy for New Taipei City". Taipei Times. Retrieved 30 December 2025.
  19. ↑ Wang, Chin-yi; Pan, Jason. "Ex-Hualien mayor Wei enters commissioner race". Taipei Times. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
  20. ↑ Thompson, James; Chang, Chi (4 March 2026). "KMT nominates female candidates for county magistrate elections". Central News Agency. Retrieved 5 March 2026. Republished as: "KMT picks three women for county commissioner elections". Taipei Times. 5 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  21. ↑ Liu, Kuan-ting; Kao, Evelyn (11 March 2026). "KMT nominates candidates for New Taipei, Yilan, Chiayi City races". Central News Agency. Retrieved 12 March 2026. Republished as: "KMT nominates candidates for New Taipei, Yilan, Chiayi City races". Taipei Times. 12 March 2026. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  22. ↑ Shih, Hsiu-chuan; Lu, Kang-chun (28 March 2026). "Lawmaker Hsu Hsin-ying wins KMT nomination for Hsinchu County magistrate". Central News Agency. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  23. ↑ Liu, Kuan-ting; Kuo, Chien-shen; Mazzetta, Matthew (28 December 2025). "KMT denies tension after TPP's Huang joins New Taipei mayor race". Central News Agency. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  24. ↑ Chen, Chun-hua; Kao, Evelyn (18 January 2026). "TPP unveils 2026 local election platform; joint KMT agenda pending". Central News Agency. Retrieved 18 January 2026. Republished as: "TPP announces its policy agenda for local elections". Taipei Times. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  25. ↑ Liu, Kuan-ting; Lee, Hsin-Yin (23 February 2026). "KMT to name New Taipei candidate March 11, launch talks with TPP". Central News Agency. Retrieved 23 February 2026. Republished as: "KMT plans to name its key candidates, start TPP talks". Taipei Times. 24 February 2026. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
  26. ↑ Yu, Matt; Lee, Hsin-Yin (28 April 2026). "KMT-TPP alliance backs Lee Shu-chuan for New Taipei mayor race". Central News Agency. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  27. ↑ Liu, Wan-lin; Khan, Fion (29 April 2026). "KMT, TPP choose New Taipei City mayor candidate". Taipei Times. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  28. ↑ Liu, Kuan-ting; Wang, Cheng-chung; Mazzetta, Matthew (6 September 2026). "TPP halts cooperation with KMT in Hsinchu County after Zhubei spat". Central News Agency. Retrieved 7 September 2026. Republished as: "KMT and TPP halt election cooperation amid Jhubei spat". Taipei Times. 7 September 2026. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  29. ↑ Wu, Che-yu; Shan, Shelley (15 October 2025). "NSB moves to foil China poll meddling". Taipei Times. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  30. ↑ Lai, Yu-chen; Ko, Lin (31 October 2025). "Nov. 28 set as voting day for Taiwan's 2026 local elections". Central News Agency. Retrieved 31 October 2025. Republished as: "Nov. 28 set as voting day for Taiwan's 2026 local elections". Taipei Times. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  31. ↑ Wu, Shu-wei; Ko, Lin. "CEC announces Nov. 28 election of 11,051 local officials". Central News Agency. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  32. ↑ Khan, Fion (20 August 2026). "Local elections set for Nov. 28 with 19.65 million eligible voters". Taipei Times. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  33. ↑ Chen, Chun-hua; Mazzetta, Matthew (4 March 2026). "TPP, KMT to announce joint policy platform on March 13: Huang". Central News Agency. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  34. ↑ Yu, Matt; Wu, Kuan-hsien (7 September 2026). "26 candidates for November local elections are Chinese spouses: CEC". Central News Agency. Retrieved 7 September 2026. Republished as: "Twenty-six candidates in local elections are Chinese-born, CEC says". Taipei Times. 8 September 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  35. ↑ Lu, Yun-feng; Chin, Jonathan; Garcia, Sam (9 September 2026). "Election interference activities revealed". Retrieved 9 September 2026.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2026_Taiwanese_local_elections&oldid=1376057419"