“Even within the pro-establishment camp, before they endorsed [Leung], some had doubts about him,” he said.

Both pro-establishment legislators had been critical of Leung’s suitability for the role, pointing out that since Leung’s seat was uncontested in the functional constituency, he lacked a mandate compared to those elected in a geographical constituency.

In response to To’s comments, Leung, the Business and Professional Alliance legislator, said he understood the perception others had of him.

“Sending people out of the meeting is a very serious matter because you are stripping [away] the rights of the legislator,” he said. “But there is a need to balance this with chairing the meeting, which is not an easy decision.”

Leung added that he hoped to communicate with all parties to ensure Legco meetings ran smoothly.

The new Legco will elect its head next Wednesday at its first meeting.

As the highest-ranking legislator, the Legco president decides agenda and approves lawmakers’ motions. In recent years, Tsang invoked his power to curb radical lawmakers’ attempts to filibuster bills and budgets.

According to Article 71 of the Basic Law, the Legco president should be “a permanent resident of the region with no right of abode in any foreign country”.

During the show, Leung stressed that he had met all the requirements to be house committee chairman, but did not say whether he had anticipated such problems when he ran for the post last term.

On whether he would consider voting if he became the president, Leung declined to give a definitive answer, saying it was hard to anticipate whether a situation which required him to do so might arise in the future.

Former Legco president Tsang had previously said he would not vote on government bills to maintain his neutrality in the role.

“I’ll think about it when it happens,” Leung said.