Hong Kong to thaw political reform process next month (Reuters)

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's Chief Executive said Wednesday that public discussion on the city's gradual move towards universal suffrage would begin next month amid mounting pressure from politicians demanding democratic reform. "We must be pragmatic and sit down and talk about the best methods for 2012 so that our election systems can be more democratic and move nearer to the goal of universal suffrage," Donald Tsang told reporters after delivering his annual policy address. A timetable was already in place in the former British colony, he said, and "we shall as soon as possible try to make sure that we can lay a very good foundation for the elections in 2012." While his speech focussed mostly on the economy, Tsang pledged to reach a public consensus on how best to hold more democratic elections in 2012 for the city's... [read full story]                    

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