The head of Libya's national assembly, Mohammed Magarief, said he was stepping down on Tuesday following the passing of a law banning anyone who held a senior post in Muammar Gaddafi's regime from government.

"The people's representatives have expressed their word - the political isolation law - and it must be respected," Magarief told congress in a televised speech. "And I will be the first ... I place my resignation in your hands."