TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 台灣民眾黨) endorsed party chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) as its candidate for the 2026 New Taipei City mayoral race on Wednesday (Feb. 4). The party's central committee approved the nomination during its meeting, marking a significant step in Taiwan's local election preparations. Huang pledged to break traditional political molds and deliver on promises, aiming to bring a fresh perspective to New Taipei City residents.
The central committee also approved the nomination list for the 2026 municipal and county council elections. Huang emphasized that candidates must move forward with determination to improve Taiwan. He plans to campaign by pursuing progress, engaging with grassroots communities, and stepping outside conventional frameworks. Addressing potential opposition collaboration with the Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, Huang stated that positive competition manifests democracy. He encouraged candidates to face challenges directly and aims to instill pride in New Taipei's citizens.
Huang officially stepped down from the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament, along with five other TPP legislators due to the "Two-Year Clause" (兩年條款). The clause requires TPP's legislators-at-large to vacate their seats and transfer them to other elected legislators-at-large for the following two years. Huang established his New Taipei City campaign headquarters on Saturday (Feb. 1), signaling the start of his mayoral campaign. ◼