BEIJING: A state-run Chinese newspaper on Monday slammed Hong Kong’s unofficial referendum on democratic reform—which has drawn more than 700,000 votes—as an “illegal farce” that could prompt tighter control from Beijing.

The poll, which opened on Friday, comes as tensions grow in the former British colony over the future of its electoral system, with increasingly vocal calls from residents to be able to choose who can run for the post of chief executive.

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