2026 Elections: Ten local election candidates fail eligibility review

A total of 10 candidates running for city and county council seats in next month’s local elections have been ruled ineligible, including New Party candidate You Zhi-bin (游智彬), the Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday.

Of the 10 disqualified council candidates, five were running for special municipality council seats and five for county or city council seats, the CEC said in a news release.

You, who is running for a Taipei City Council seat, was born in China’s Fujian Province.

The Central Election Commission plaque in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Taipei Times

The CEC said he was originally a resident of China and submitted proof that he had relinquished his Chinese household registration in April 2025.

Under the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) and relevant election laws, people in You’s circumstances must have been registered as residents in Taiwan for at least 10 years after submitting proof that they had relinquished their mainland household registration.

You had not met this requirement, the CEC said.

In addition, four disqualified city council candidates were ruled ineligible because of criminal convictions, or sentences that had not been fully served, the commission said.

They were Lin Cheng-feng (林正峰) of New Taipei City, convicted of money laundering; Cheng Po-chi (鄭伯其) of Taichung, convicted of fraud; Tsao Wei-kuo (曹暐國) of Tainan, convicted under the law governing firearms and ammunition; and Hsiao Hsiang-han (蕭湘瀚) of Taoyuan, whose sentence for offenses including obstruction of official duties remained uncompleted.

The five disqualified county and city council candidates were Chung Jen-ming (鍾任明) of Yunlin County, Ho Po- lun (何博倫) of Chiayi County, Chou Chun-yu (周駿宥) of Hualien County, Shih Yung-cheng (石永城) of Kinmen County and Chang Fang-li (張芳麗) of Keelung.

The CEC said candidate numbers will be drawn at local election commission offices on Oct. 23. Candidates’ financial disclosure information will also be published online for one year from the date the candidate lists are finalized.

The 2026 local elections, slated for Nov. 28, are also known as the “9-in-1” elections because voters in Taiwan’s 22 cities and counties will cast ballots for candidates vying for nine different local government posts, including city mayors, county magistrates, and city and county councilors.