Li Zhenxiu, a former Taiwan People's Party (TPP) legislator, announced on August 26 that she will run for mayor of Jhubei City, though election authorities have yet to rule on her eligibility. Li, a mainland Chinese spouse whose household registration drew controversy during her legislative term, made the announcement on her social media page, CNA reported.
Who decides whether she can run? Under the election and recall law, the Hsinchu County Election Commission reviews Li's bid, Central Election Commission chairman Yu Ying-lung said. Under normal circumstances, he said, eligibility reviews for township and city mayors need only a local commission's determination, and the central commission steps in only in special circumstances. The county commission said it would review her case, based on her documents and the relevant rules, once she formally registers.
What must candidates declare? Existing rules require candidates to swear at registration that they hold no mainland household registration and no related identity documents or passports, and to declare they hold no nationality other than the Republic of China, the county commission said. This year, it said, candidate registration and the election bulletin both add related sworn-statement fields.
What is the eligibility question? Except as otherwise provided by law, Article 21 of the cross-strait relations act lets people who originally held mainland household registration register as candidates for public office only after holding Taiwan household registration for 10 years, and a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) interpretation in April counts those years from the day proof of losing mainland registration is filed with the authorities, CNA reported. MAC spokesman Liang Wen-chieh said in February that Li submitted that proof in March 2025. The council said election authorities would determine her eligibility under the law. Yu said the matter did not yet involve the Nationality Act but eligibility, which for mainland spouses means whether they have been registered for 10 years, and that the MAC's new determination may affect prospective candidates.
How did rivals and her former party respond? TPP nominee Chiu Chen-yuan said Li came to greet him while he was campaigning the previous weekend and expressed her wish to run. Kuomintang candidate Wu Hsu-chih said anyone willing to run deserved respect, while Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tseng Sheng-kai said Li should provide complete proof on dual nationality, household registration and eligibility for public office. TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang, whose party has expelled Li, said running is a basic civic right as long as it complies with the law and that her bid could not affect Chiu.
