(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan’s opposition presidential candidates engaged in a public mud-slinging match on live television, shattering the prospects of a China-friendly unity ticket in a moment likely to be remembered as one of the most farcical in the island’s political history.

With just 24 hours to go until registration for January’s election closed, the Kuomintang’s Hou Yu-ih and the Taiwan People’s Party’s Ko Wen-je met in Taipei’s Grand Hyatt Hotel on Thursday. Ostensibly, the meeting was to decide who would lead any alliance ticket, despite the two sides’ deep political divisions.

Those talks never got started. Instead, a pre-negotiation press briefing descended into 90 minutes of on-stage insult-trading, political grandstanding and, at times, off-topic ranting, beamed to the island of some 23 million people. 

Ko accused his prospective running mate of bringing a “bunch of nannies” to the event, referring to senior KMT figures. Hou read out private text messages he claimed were from Ko, saying tech tycoon Terry Gou — an independent candidate currently fourth in polls — needed an off-ramp from the race. 

“I have never seen something like this in the 20 plus years of Taiwanese politics,” said Niu Tse-hsun, a professor at the Chinese Culture University, who specializes in political science and political communication. “These political leaders’ mishandling of such a crucial agenda would cause them a big loss of supporters.”

Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, of the KMT, sat silently between the warring candidates, refusing to take the microphone and shouting to reporters that he was only there “as a witness.” The spectacle ended when Hou, Ma and KMT Chairman Eric Chu walked out.

Taiwan’s presidential election, which will shape cross-strait relations and the US presence in the region for years, looks set to be one of the closest and most dramatic in the island’s history. Four major figures have been vying for the top job, with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate, Vice President Lai Ching-te, the frontrunner.

Hours before the registration deadline at 5:30 p.m. Friday, it’s still unclear what the tickets beyond the ruling DPP’s are going to look like, adding an unprecedented layer of uncertainty to the proceedings.

The drama started to unfold earlier Thursday when both sides indicated a willingness to talk but couldn’t agree on a venue. The KMT’s Hou, a mayor and former cop, summoned Ko to former President Ma’s office for talks. At the same time, Ko was at billionaire Gou’s residence, though they later moved to the Grand Hyatt hotel and demanded the other side come to them.

That created a stand-off. Hou broke first in the political game of chicken, heading to the luxury hotel in downtown Taipei. Foxconn Technology Group founder Gou then put out a statement saying the former president was not invited. Both septuagenarians enjoy strong relationships with the Chinese government in Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory.

When both camps finally met at the hotel, tense scenes underscored the distance between them. The KMT’s Hou, Chu and Ma were kept waiting by the other candidates in a room full of reporters for more than 20 minutes. Spokespeople for the KMT and Gou engaged in public bickering over the delay in front of the assembled press. 

When Gou and Ko finally appeared, Gou seized the microphone and launched into a lengthy monologue on how he had worked hard to broker a deal. He also insisted the talks should only consist of the three candidates, calling Ma and Chu “uninvited guests” who should wait elsewhere.

The chances of an opposition unity ticket in Taiwan’s presidential election now appear slim. Hou and Ko are set to sign up for the race separately between 11 a.m. and 12 noon Friday, according to party statements. This would confirm an end to months of tumultuous talks over a joint campaign and increase the DPP’s chance of staying in power. 

An alliance would greatly increase the chances of a government that would be able to restart talks with Beijing. China is unwilling to talk with the DPP because it refuses to acknowledge its claim over the democratically ruled island.

Last week, the KMT and TPP agreed to an alliance, only for talks to collapse over disagreements about who would lead the ticket. Former surgeon Ko said after that initial accord that he “hates” the KMT, in comments that cast a long-shadow over the relationship.

“The entire opposition alliance has been a terrible soap opera,” said Niu, “and yesterday’s event was the horrendous season finale.” 

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