On 5 May the General National Congress (GNC) voted overwhelmingly to pass the so-called 'political isolation' law, which bars those who held senior public positions at any time between 1969 and 2011 from taking up similar posts in the future.

The Gaddafi-era posts mentioned in the draft of the law, which was published several days before the vote, include ambassadors, ministers, deans of educational institutions and the heads of state media outlets, local councils, the police and the armed forces.

Individuals who held such positions will now be banned from taking up other similar roles for a period of 10 years. 

The legislation has proven to be controversial and divisive, winning support from some sections of Libyan society and attracting fierce opposition from others. 

One criticism levelled against the draft law has been the vagueness of its terms, which means its impact will depend largely on how the legislation is interpreted, who enforces it, and how quickly it is carried through.

Several ministers in the current interim government held positions under the Gaddafi regime, and in the near future they may come under pressure to lose their posts, even though it is unclear whether some had held sufficiently senior posts to be banned.

Current prime minister Ali Zeidan, for instance, served as a diplomat for a period during the Gaddafi era but - unlike parliament speaker Mohamed Magarief - was never an ambassador.

Who controls the new body, and how resistant it is to pressure from political parties or independent armed groups, will also play a part in shaping the impact of the law.

It is too soon for answers to these questions, but it seems likely in the short-term that the law will create yet more uncertainty at the decision-making level and hamper the current government's ability to implement its plans.