Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai, who presided over the provisional legislature, was returned as Legislative Council President yesterday.
The former executive councillor defeated the president of the pre-handover Legco, Andrew Wong Wang-fat, by 36 votes to 24. But pro-democracy members branded Mr Wong's defeat a setback for their cause.
Mr Wong, directly elected in New Territories East, said three of the five main parties - the DAB, the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance and the Liberal Party - had backed Mrs Fan.
Previously divided in its choice, the Liberal Party gave its 10 votes to Mrs Fan.
Independent member Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, one of Mr Wong's three seconders, said: 'It is extremely ironic that a legislature with so many directly elected seats is to be represented by a legislator who was elected through an 800-strong committee, a rather undemocratic form of election. Democratic forces seem to have been overcome by undemocratic ones,' Ms Ng said.
Lee Cheuk-yan of The Frontier said: 'Her victory symbolises that the new legislature will still be haunted by the provisional legislature's ghosts. It will take time to test her neutrality.' There are 34 ex-provisional legislators in the first legislature.