TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Five Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members have said they will compete in a primary to decide who will run for Kaohsiung mayor in 2026.

Former Labor Minister Hsu Ming-chun (許銘春) on Tuesday (Aug. 20) became the fifth DPP member to commit to the primary. Hsu acknowledged that competition with other DPP members would be strong, per UDN.

However, Hsu said she believes this will not affect inter-party relationships, and that the DPP will unite for the best outcome for the citizens of Kaohsiung. In addition to Hsu, Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), Lin Dai-hua (林岱樺), Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑), and Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) have said they will compete in the primary, per CNA.

After the former labor minister’s announcement, Hsu Chih-chieh said he would prefer primaries to be held soon to “calm the hearts of voters” and enable candidates to begin campaigning earlier.

Chiu said that because Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) has not yet finished half his term, it is premature to hold primaries now. However, she said she would ultimately respect the arrangements made by the DPP’s central planning committee.

Lai also said he would look to the party’s central committee for the timing of the primary election. Lai said he would compete in the primary with support from former long-serving Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), who had given him “encouragement and support.”

Meanwhile, Lin said that having multiple candidates compete in a primary for the candidacy shows that “everyone has a sense of responsibility for Kaohsiung.”

The Kuomintang’s (KMT) Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) is also reportedly expected to run for the mayoralty. Ko told CNA after Hsu’s announcement that the DPP’s primary process is very lively, though declined to comment on the KMT’s selection process.