Atop this process is the party chair, who must steer the party through this often fraught process while managing intense rivalries and keeping the party united. Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei TimesThe 2024 presidential candidates were former mayors of Tainan, New Taipei City and Taipei. This time, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) mayors of Taipei and Taoyuan can run, but their mayors in Taichung and New Taipei City are term-limited out. Another risk for the DPP is the Tainan primary taking place as this column is being written. Watch the New Taipei City negotiations; the horse-trading here could be intense.

Source: Taipei Times January 14, 2026 17:17 UTC