Nov. 28 set as voting day for Taiwan's 2026 local elections

Taipei, Oct. 31 (CNA) The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced on Friday that Taiwan's 2026 local elections will be held on Nov. 28 next year.

The local elections, which take place every four years, select mayors and city councilors in the special municipalities of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung; as well as magistrates, mayors, councilors, town chiefs, and town representatives in the other 16 counties and county-level cities.

A public bulletin on the 2026 local elections will be released on Aug. 20 next year, before candidate registration opens from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4, the CEC said in a news release.

The deadline for approving eligible candidates will be Oct. 16, and those in the electoral races will draw their ballot numbers on Oct. 23, the commission said.

Mayoral candidates running in the six special municipalities will present their policy platforms from Nov. 13-27, 2026 while those running to be special municipality councilors, county and county-level city mayors and councilors will be allowed to do the same from Nov. 18-27 next year.

Meanwhile, the number of eligible voters will be announced by Nov. 24, it said.

According to the CEC, the schedules for other candidates running in the 2026 elections, including heads of Indigenous districts in the six special municipalities, will be decided by local election commissions.