Occupy Central poll should be taken seriously, says mainland Basic Law expert

A mainland academic who advises the central government on Hong Kong affairs has urged the Hong Kong and central governments to take seriously the huge turnout for the unofficial referendum on electoral reform.

Rao Geping, a member of the Basic Law Committee, said the public vote reflected the demand of some people in Hong Kong, even if it was not legally binding.

"We can take it as a form of public opinion expressed by some people in Hong Kong," he said after a seminar on the white paper at Peking University, where he is a law professor.

More than 744,000 people have voted since the 10-day exercise began on Friday. Voters are asked to choose between three options on how the chief executive should be elected in 2017.

On Friday, the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the vote was unlawful, while the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong dismissed it as a "farce".

"I am not sure if the turnout is accurate. I think it nonetheless reflects the demand of some people in Hong Kong, though I dare not say it's a view adopted by everybody," Rao said.

"So the Hong Kong government and the central government have to take it seriously."