The head of Libya’s General National Congress is to resign on Tuesday after a law was ratified banning those who served under the regime of slain dictator Moammar Gaddafi, from holding any political role.

The head of Libya’s General National Congress is to resign on Tuesday after a law was ratified banning those who served under the regime of slain dictator Moammar Gaddafi, from holding any political role.

Mohamed al-Megaryef "will on Tuesday evening submit his resignation before members of the General National Congress," the national assembly, one of his advisers told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity.

"The members of the General National Congress will elect a new president in the coming days," the adviser said, but without elaborating on the reasons for Megaryef's planned resignation.

The state news agency Lana, quoting a statement from Megaryef's office, said he will announce his resignation in a speech on Tuesday evening.
Megaryef was Libya's ambassador to India in the 1980s before he defected and joined the opposition in exile.

On May 5, the national assembly passed a controversial law banning officials who served under Gadfdafi’s regime between September 1, 1969 and the fall of his regime in October 2011 from holding any political role.

The law -- which comes into force on June 5 -- was adopted under pressure from armed groups demanding the ouster of former regime officials from current political office.