The United Nations (UN) will ‘undoubtedly’ rule to allow Former President Mohamed Nasheed to run in the 2018 presidential election, says United Nations Special Rapporteur Dr Ahmed Shaheed.

Dr Shaheed, the Former Foreign Minister, said on Twitter that the UN’s Human Rights Committee will vote this year to allow Nasheed to run in the election.

He said that President Abdulla Yameen would have to stop the election after the ruling.

Despite Shaheed’s optimism, the Maldives government has ignored the ruling from the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to release Nasheed and Former Defense Minister Colonel Mohamed Nazim.

Dr Shaheed told RaajjeMV that Maldives is required to follow the HR committee’s ruling, as the country has signed an agreement to do so.

Every citizen has the right to pressure the government, he said, adding that a country that barely has a population of 400,000 cannot remain stable for long after violating international standards for human rights.

He added that he was neither a supporter of Nasheed nor his party MDP.