This is the first local election since the leading liberal figures were detained after Lei Chen and others of the Free China Journal attempted to form an opposition party.

[3] For the Tangwai camp, former mayor Henry Kao, who withdrew at the last moment in the previous election, decided to run for the office again, citing the KMT's concession on counting supervision.

[2] However, the authorities bribed Kao's campaign team, including Huang Hsin-chieh, later leader of Tangwai movement, by offering a free tour to the south until the end of the election.

[4] Other than Kao, Chen Yi-sung (陳逸松) and Li Sheng-yuan (李鉎源) also registered as independent candidates, raising concern of vote spitting within Tangwai bloc planned by the KMT.

Li, a suspected party agent later revealed by Kao's team, was even able to commemorate the February 28 uprising, a political taboo for the regime, further strengthening the accusation.

Under rotating leadership between local factions of Taoyuan, Chen Chang-shou was nominated by the Kuomintang to hold the magisterial seat, while CDSP member Huang Yu-chiao (黃玉嬌) ran as an independent and was supported by Hakka constituents.

The rivalry "white faction" was indecisive on the representative after three successive heavyweights gave up in just three weeks, finally settled the matter by sending doctor Hung Tiao (洪挑).

[14][15] Shih Hsi-hsun of the Tangwai, whose three magisterial bids all failed, supported his former rival Lu for re-election, which was believed to be decisive in his narrow victory but also infuriated the "white faction".

[15] Wishing to discourage the local factions, Kuomintang nominated outsider Liao Chen-hsiang, a civil servant in Taiwan Government, in a surprise.

Lin, with quite a certain victory in hand, did not enter the race after persuaded by a third party, while Liao's father announced donating NT$1 million as scholarship as a show of willingness to serve Yunlin, which could be an act of electoral bribery.

Although both supported by heavyweights (incumbent and former magistrate), with more political donation, Liu defeated Li, whose controversial background damaged his popularity,[19] in a landslide.

[4]In the middle of his term, Hsin Wen-bing intended to resign as he could not withstand Kuomintang's bureaucratic pressure, but was urged to stay on by the Taiwan Government.

Tangwai movement endorsed County Councillor Huang Chen-san (黃振三) to challenge Chang, forcing the first competitive election in Pingtung.