Hong Kong police have used tear gas to disperse thousands of pro-democracy protesters near the government complex, after a week of escalating tensions.
Dozens of demonstrators were arrested, with hundreds vowing to stay put to continue the protest.
Protesters want the Chinese government to scrap rules allowing it to vet Hong Kong's top leader in the 2017 poll.
Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said the demonstration was "illegal" and elections would go ahead as planned.
China has also condemned the protest, and offered "its strong backing" to the Hong Kong government.
The broader Occupy Central protest movement threw its weight behind the student-led protests on Sunday, bringing forward a mass civil disobedience campaign due to start on Wednesday.
Regrouping
Protesters blocked a busy thoroughfare that runs through the heart of Hong Kong's financial district on Sunday, clashing with police as they tried to join a mass sit-in outside government headquarters.
Police used pepper spray and repeatedly shot tear gas into the air to drive back the protesters from the busy Connaught Road. Protesters used umbrellas and face masks to defend themselves.
Many protesters remained in one of central Hong Kong's main avenues on Sunday evening
Crowds of protesters were earlier dispersed by volleys of tear gas but later returned
As evening fell, the police lobbed tear gas canisters into the crowd, scattering some of the protesters. But many of the demonstrators regrouped and retreated to a nearby park.
According to the AFP news agency, some 3,000 protesters blocked a second major thoroughfare in the Mongkok district of Kowloon late on Sunday.
At the scene: Juliana Liu, Hong Kong correspondent
After clashes with police earlier in the week, pro-democracy protesters appeared to be much better prepared on Sunday.
Many arrived sporting raincoats or wrapped in plastic with swimming goggles over their eyes - items chosen to protest against the sting of tear gas and pepper spray.
Still, there was surprise and chaos when the first round of tear gas was fired in the early evening. Thousands of people ran for cover when the canisters hit the ground, spewing white smoke and a distinctively sharp smell into the air.
I was helped by a middle-aged couple who noticed my growing baby bump and were concerned for my health. They pressed a water-soaked blue handkerchief into my face to reduce the amount of tear gas I would breath in. But they disappeared before I could thank them properly
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