Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s lawyers have filed a case with the United Nations to have a decision made on the state of his potential candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections.

Nasheed said at a press conference from Colombo of Sri Lanka, and said that he received an update on the case on Monday, and that a decision is expected by March.

At the conference, Nasheed said that his lawyers are seeking to allow him to compete in the election based off of several articles in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which was accepted by the Maldives in 2006.

“When the OHCHR comes out with a decision, then the United Nations will have spoken” Nasheed said.

The opposition leader also said that he would compete if he is legally allowed to, and if not, he would support any candidate the united opposition puts forth.

Nasheed further said that the government is attempting to ensure that the opposition does not have a candidate for the elections, and that such an election would be ‘illegal’.

“President Yameen wants a coronation, not an election. We will not make it easy for him, we will not boycott the vote” Nasheed said.

At the conference, Nasheed also spoke heavily against Maldives’ ongoing ties with China and highlighted the lack of transparency in the agreements made. He said that such ‘land-grab’ is detrimental to Maldives’ sovereignty.