Taipei's mayor is closing ranks with his party and its allies ahead of Taiwan's local elections, a sign the blue camp is betting on unity to hold the capital.

• Chiang Wan-an will join KMT Taipei city council candidates when they register on Sept. 3, and says he wants every one of them to win.
• He will also appear at a joint rally for the Taiwan People's Party council candidates on Sept. 12, pushing his goal of maximizing combined KMT–TPP seats.
• Chiang, seeking reelection, and his DPP rival Shen Po-yang have both yet to register themselves, and registration closes this week.
• His free-milk program for schoolchildren has seen uptake slip since launch, and he says the city will keep pushing to lift it as the program expands to junior high.
• Council members questioned whether his US-citizen son should have won a city-funded student exchange spot; he says the boy applied through the normal selection process.

Outlook: Expect both mayoral candidates to register within days, with the KMT–TPP alliance shaping up as the defining fight for Taipei's council in the 2026 local elections.