TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The KMT and the TPP agreed in principle Wednesday to use opinion polls to select joint candidates for mayor of New Taipei and Chiayi City and for Yilan County magistrate.

The opposition parties have already nominated separate candidates for the Nov. 28 elections in the three areas. Working groups from both sides still have to decide the technical details for the polling, CNA reported.

Following several rounds of negotiations, the TPP Central Committee and the KMT Central Standing Committee on Wednesday approved the agreement to wage a joint campaign in some areas, TPP spokesperson Chang Tung (張彤) said. The agreement features several phases, from common policies to selection methods and plans for cooperation after the elections.

The basic principle would be to support incumbents seeking reelection. However, in cities and counties where the incumbent is not allowed to run again because of term limits, each party could nominate its own candidate but would then use opinion polls to decide which candidate should be backed by both parties on election day.

TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) emphasized the need for cooperation, adding the agreement with the KMT laid the foundation for coalition government at the local level. Huang received his party’s nomination for mayor of New Taipei, while the KMT named former Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川).

At the KMT on Wednesday, party leader Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said the agreement signaled equal and democratic relations between the parties, per CNA. They were searching for the broadest possible path to victory, she said.

Cheng added that the two opposition parties would also discuss how to name and support candidates for city and county councils and for township mayors, who will also face elections on Nov. 28. The KMT chair added that this year’s cooperation should lay the foundation for a similar effort in the 2028 presidential election.