didates in January's legislative elections, a move seen as bolstering their chances against the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. The move further pushes the Nationalist Party and its spinoff People First Party toward a long discussed merger.
The elections will see the number of legislative seats cut in half to 113.
That drastically reduces the chances of smaller parties like the PFP, so its decision to cooperate with the Nationalists appears to be an effort to guarantee political representation for at least a portion of its current lawmakers.
PFP Chairman James Soong told reporters in the presence of Nationalist Chairman Wu Po-hsiung that 10 PFP candidates will run under the Nationalist banner in the legislative elections - half of its present legislative component.
Another two candidates will run as PFP nominees, Soong said, though it is not clear if they will face Nationalist opposition in their constituencies.
"We hope the two parties can collaborate to win," Soong told a press conference.
The legislative elections are set for Jan. 12. They precede a presidential poll by about two months. The PFP will not field a candidate in the presidential race, which pits Nationalist Ma Ying-jeou against Frank Hsieh of the ruling DPP.
Soong, a former Nationalist, is well aware of the need for unity in the opposition camp. His decision to run as an independent in the 2000 presidential race is widely credited with handing the election to the DPP, ending a 50-year Nationalist monopoly on power.
The opposition currently has a small majority in Taiwan's legislature. Nationalist and PFP lawmakers frequently cooperate to frustrate DPP legislative programs, including the procurement of a multibillion dollar (euro) package of U.S.-made arms to help Taiwan defend itself against possible attack from China.
The two sides split amid civil war in 1949. China continues to regard democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to attack if the island moves to formalize its de facto independence.
The DPP favors such a move, while both the Nationalists and the PFP support eventual unification with the mainland.
