Emily Lau fails in attempt to head panel

Legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing of The Frontier suffered a one-vote defeat in an election yesterday to head the Legislative Council's constitutional affairs panel.

Legislators were electing the chairs and vice-chairs of 18 panels.

Despite concerns about cleanliness in Hong Kong in the wake of the Sars outbreak, of the 18 panels, the one covering food safety and environmental hygiene drew the least interest.

It will have only nine members this session.

With democratic reform a major focus of the new session, 37 of the 59 lawmakers other than Legco chairwoman Rita Fan Hsu Lai-tai have joined the constitutional affairs panel.

The panel's chair will have a big say in how Legco handles the issue.