Local elections will be held in Taiwan on 28 November 2026[1] to elect county magistrates and city mayors, county and city councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of villages and boroughs in six special municipalities and 16 counties and cities. Elected officials will serve a four-year term.
However, the center-left, pro-Taiwanese independence DPP lost its absolute majority in the Legislative Yuan in the legislative elections. Both the DPP and the opposition right-wing, pro-Chinese unification KMT failed to win a majority, leaving the populist, centrist TPP to hold the balance of power.[4]
The first two years of Lai's administration have seen his premier, Cho Jung-tai, refuse to countersign laws passed by a majority of the Legislative Yuan.[5]
A mass recall of KMT lawmakers was also attempted, but failed to result in changing the balance of power in the Legislative Yuan with no KMT legislator lost their seats.[6]
The KMT held its leadership election in October 2025. During her campaign, winning candidate Cheng Li-wun indicated she would continue the KMT–TPP coalition, respect local decisions about candidacies and back incumbents for reelection. If the TPP and the KMT nominated candidates for the same local office, a cross-party primary would be held to determine the candidate.[10] Public discussions about an electoral coalition between the two parties began in November 2025.[11] The KMT 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.[12]
Democratic Progressive Party
The DPP discussed candidate nomination procedures for the 2026 elections at the party congress held in June 2025.[13]
Taiwan People's Party
On 28 December 2025, TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang formally announced his candidacy for the New Taipei mayoralty.[14] In January 2026, the TPP published a white paper describing party policies for the 2026 elections.[15] Huang suspended his New Taipei mayoral campaign in April 2026, as Lee Shu-chuan became the joint candidate of the KMT and TPP.[16][17] The TPP announced in September 2026 that its partnership with the KMT had ended for political offices in Hsinchu County, as the parties could not agree on a joint mayoral candidate for Zhubei.[18]
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.[22] On 31 October 2025, the Central Election Commission formally scheduled the elections for 28 November 2026.[23] 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.[24][25] 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.[26]
Electoral system
Nine categories of local public officials are to be elected in this election cycle: mayors of Special municipalities (Taiwan), special municipality councilors, county magistrates and city mayors, county and city councilors, township and county-administered city mayors, township and city councilors, chiefs of indigenous districts in special municipalities, councilors of indigenous districts in special municipalities, and chiefs of villages and boroughs.[27]
Election day is set for 28 November 2026, or the 28th day, 11th month, and 115th year of the Republic of China calendar (Minguo calendar).[28]
The Central Election Commission estimated that 11,051 local public officials would be elected across 8,906 electoral districts, with approximately 19.65 million eligible voters. The commission planned to establish 18,244 polling stations for the election.[29]
Local executive heads, including mayors and county magistrates, are elected directly by voters. Local councilors are elected in multi-member electoral districts, in which the candidates receiving the most votes win the available seats. The election also includes township- and district-level offices and village and borough chiefs. The specific electoral arrangements depend on the office being contested.[27]
City mayors and county magistrates are subject to term limits: They may serve no more than two consecutive terms in office.[30]
Election timetable
The Central Election Commission set the following schedule for the elections. All dates are in 2026 unless otherwise stated.[31]
Election administration schedule
Date
Event
20 August
Election notice issued (100 days before polling day)
27 August
Announcement of candidate registration dates and requirements
31 August – 4 September
Candidate registration
4 September
Deadline for political parties to withdraw their endorsement of candidates
By 16 October
Candidate lists reviewed and approved; candidates notified of the ballot draw
23 October
Drawing of lots to determine candidates' ballot numbers
8 November
Electoral rolls completed
12 November
Announcement of candidate lists for special municipality mayors
13–27 November
Official policy presentations for special municipality mayoral candidates
17 November
Announcement of candidate lists for special municipality councilors, county magistrates and city mayors, and county and city councilors
18–27 November
Official policy presentations for special municipality councilor, county magistrate and city mayor, and county and city councilor candidates
By 24 November
Announcement of the number of eligible voters
28 November
Polling day; votes cast and counted
By 4 December
List of elected candidates reviewed and approved
4 December
Announcement of elected candidates
18 December
Certificates of election issued
25 December
Elected officials sworn in
By 3 January 2027
Candidates notified to collect campaign expense subsidies
The table below lists the parties that hold seats in the Legislative Yuan or won local council seats in the 2022 local elections. Party competition in Taiwan is structured mainly around national identity and cross-strait relations rather than a strict left–right economic divide, with parties conventionally grouped into the pan-Blue and pan-Green camps.
Many candidates for local office, particularly village and borough chiefs, stand as independents.
In addition to the party-affiliated councilors listed above, there are 198 independent councilors.
Party alliances
KMT–TPP cooperation
The KMT and the TPP reached an agreement in March 2026 to coordinate candidates and cooperate on policy positions in the local elections. Under the agreement, the parties adopted a process of nominating candidates and subsequently coordinating their candidacies to support a common candidate where an agreement could be reached. The agreement also provided for joint campaigning and cooperation after the election.[32]
The cooperation encountered difficulties in Hsinchu County, where the two parties could not agree on a candidate for mayor of Zhubei. Both parties registered candidates for the office. On 6 September 2026, the TPP announced that it would suspend electoral cooperation with the KMT in Hsinchu County following the dispute.[33]
Taiwan Go Go alliance
In September 2025, the New Power Party, Taiwan Statebuilding Party, Taiwan Obasang Political Equality Party and Green Party Taiwan announced an agreement to cooperate in the 2026 local elections. The parties said they intended to coordinate their candidacies, including by avoiding competition between their candidates in the same electoral districts.[34]
In December 2025, the four parties formally established the Taiwan Go Go alliance (台灣前進陣線). The alliance aimed to coordinate participation in local elections and increase cooperation among smaller parties. Its stated principles included local democratic participation, social equality, environmental sustainability and transparency in politics.[35]
Candidates
Candidate registration for the 2026 Taiwanese local elections took place from 31 August – 4 September 2026. The following candidates registered to contest the six special municipality mayoral elections and the 16 other county and city executive elections. The list is based on reporting by Focus Taiwan published on 7 September 2026; registration did not necessarily establish final eligibility.[36]
The color strips identify party affiliation. Grey is used for independent candidates. Colors assigned to smaller parties are provisional visual identifiers.
The following tables use results published by the Central Election Commission (CEC).
Overall
The table below summarizes party performance in the mayoral and county magistrate elections and the local council elections.
Party
Mayors and magistrates before
Mayors and magistrates elected
Council seats before
Council seats won
Council seats change
Council votes
Council vote share (%)
Kuomintang (KMT)
13
368
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)
5
277
Taiwan People's Party (TPP)
1
13
Taiwan Statebuilding Party
New Power Party
Taiwan Solidarity Party
Other parties
Independents
3
Mayoral and county magistrate elections
The following tables list the candidates in the 22 executive races. Vote percentages are calculated as a share of valid votes cast in each constituency. Asterisks (*) and italics designate the incumbent running for reelection. Bold highlights the winner of the election.
204 township/city mayors and indigenous district chief administrators
2,139 township/city council representatives
7,748 village chiefs
Figures in this infobox are for magistrate/mayor elections unless otherwise noted. Special municipalities are counted with counties/cities despite being counted separately in official statistics
↑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.
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