A senior member of a leading national think tank on Monday said he believes the central government will have a pragmatic understanding of voter turnout in Sunday's district council polls.

Nearly 1.2 million people cast their ballot in the polls for a turnout of 27.54 per cent.

Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the voting rate was "acceptable" given that the atmosphere for district elections in Hong Kong "has never been enthusiastic".

"I believe that the central government should have a relatively sober and pragmatic understanding of the turnout rate in this district council election. It will not blindly think that through the SAR government and this large-scale mobilisation of patriotic forces, the turnout rate can be pushed to a relatively high level," he said.

Meanwhile, political commentator Sonny Lo told RTHK that Sunday's turnout fell within analysts' forecasts of between 25 and 30 percent.

Lo said the fact that almost 1.2 million people voted shows the government has to be responsive to the public's needs.

"Whether the district councils would operate well will depend on two major factors. Number one, the government's responsiveness to the demands and the issues raised by district council members. Second, the extent to which district council members would work harder to lobby the government to improve district affairs, including environment and transportation issues."

Lo added that it's hardly surprising that the DAB came out on top in the polls because of its long-standing patriotic background.