TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) on Saturday announced his candidacy for New Taipei mayor at a rally in Xinzhuang that prompted a response from the KMT, per CNA. 

The rally, billed as “Support New Taipei x Do The Best,” featured an appearance by former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who delivered his first public speech since being released on bail. Ko praised Huang for steering the TPP through a difficult period and said he believed Huang could bring a promising new future to New Taipei.

Huang, a former NPP lawmaker who later joined and rose to lead the TPP, framed his candidacy as a bid to break political patterns in New Taipei, a municipality long regarded as a KMT stronghold.

The announcement drew attention from the KMT, which has governed New Taipei for roughly two decades. KMT Chair Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), speaking to reporters, cautioned against overinterpreting Huang’s campaign launch and said it did not signal any rupture in opposition cooperation between the two parties.

Cheng made the remarks while attending a commemorative event marking the 20th anniversary of a meeting between then KMT Chair Lien Chan (連戰) and Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Hu Jintao (胡錦濤). She said communication with Huang had been smooth and urged the public not to read too much into the TPP’s campaign activities.

“There is no need to overinterpret,” Cheng said, adding that the overall atmosphere of cooperation between the KMT and the TPP remained positive. Cheng said collaboration between the two opposition parties had so far been favorable and expressed confidence in its continued progress. 

“Up to the present, everything related to the progress and atmosphere of blue-white cooperation has been extremely positive and favorable, and it has given me deep confidence,” she said.

In November, Cheng and Huang held a public meeting to discuss possible cooperation in the 2026 elections. At the time, TPP figures said they hoped to reach a formal cooperation agreement by March.

So far, the TPP has refrained from naming mayoral or county magistrate candidates in jurisdictions where a KMT incumbent is seeking reelection or where the KMT has already announced a nominee, underscoring the delicacy of opposition coordination.

New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) is set to leave office next year after completing his second term, creating an open race in 2026. The KMT has yet to nominate a candidate. However, Deputy Taipei Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) is widely seen as a leading contender and has indicated his intention to register for the party’s primary.

Huang’s early entry into the race sets the stage for a high-profile contest in a city that has long been a KMT bastion, while also testing the limits of opposition cooperation between the TPP and the KMT.