Libya’s NTC hands over power to elected congress

Libya's first elected assembly has taken power from the National Transitional Council, which has ruled the country since the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi last year.

The ceremony marked the first peaceful power transfer in Libya's modern history, as Gaddafi took control in 1969 in a bloodless coup that deposed King Idris.

The 200-member assembly convened late at night with tight security measures on the anniversary of the liberation of Tripoli, when rebel forces marched into the capital, defeating Gaddafi's forces after months of deadly battles.

Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the outgoing NTC, gave a conciliatory speech before dissolving his council and transferring power to the new assembly.

"The national transitional council is handing over the legislative authority in the country to the General Congress, which from this historical moment, is the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people," Jalil told the delegates.

He acknowledged the NTC's failures in restoring security, but said that the council ruled in "exceptional times".

The handover timetable calls for the new assembly to name a president within a day and then form a government within 30 days of its first session.

The new assembly is made up by three main blocks with Islamists, including the Muslim Brotherhood and ultraconservative Salafis, liberals and moderates and a bloc of independents.

The liberals and moderates are led by wartime prime minister Mahmoud Jibril.