Hu calls for 'democratic election' in China

CHINA president Hu Jintao called for a bigger public role in government and "democratic election", the government's news outlet said yesterday.

The report by the Xinhua News Agency didn't give any details of what Mr Hu, who it said spoke on Tuesday night in a speech to fellow Communist Party leaders, meant by the reference to elections or whether it might include allowing true opposition parties.

But China has been holding non-partisan elections to low-level village offices for a decade, and the party has long been rumoured to be preparing to hold competitive internal elections for its posts and to expand the so-called "village democracy".