Controversial remarks by KMT legislator Weng Hsiao-ling have made her a target of online criticism and dragged the party's city and county chiefs into the fray — bad news for the KMT ahead of the year-end elections.

• Negative online sentiment toward Weng Hsiao-ling runs as high as 87 percent and her favourability is at rock bottom, yet her volume of online mentions is on a par with that of Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an.
• The civic group Citizen Congress Watch charged that "the KMT has become Weng Hsiao-ling-ised," singling out Chiang Wan-an and Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng for staying silent and condoning her, and calling for them to be voted out.
• Asked whether he was worried about the impact on the election, Chiang Wan-an replied only, "I have not heard of any such claim," and left.
• Cooperation between the KMT and the TPP has also become uncertain, with the Taipei city party branch stating that Chiang Wan-an will not appear at campaign events for TPP candidates — a stance criticised as selfish.
• Meanwhile, DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen has called for a debate on city governance, and drew controversy for signing a student's award certificate on which Kao Shih-yu's name had been crossed out.

Outlook: With the nine-in-one elections approaching, the Weng Hsiao-ling effect and whether the KMT and the TPP can cooperate will be the biggest variables in the KMT's bid to hold on to Taipei and other key municipalities.