Can the planet's most aged president keep the position and woo a nation of youthful electorate?
The planet's most aged leader - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has assured the nation's electorate "the best is still to come" as he seeks his 8th straight presidential term on Sunday.
The 92-year-old has remained in power since 1982 - an additional 7-year term could see him rule for 50 years until he will be almost a century old.
Campaign Controversies
He resisted numerous appeals to resign and faced criticism for making merely a single campaign event, spending most of the election season on a week-and-a-half private trip to Europe.
Criticism regarding his dependence on an AI-generated political commercial, as his rivals courted voters in person, led to his hurried travel north upon his arrival.
Youth Voters and Unemployment
It means that for the great bulk of the people, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they remember - more than sixty percent of the nation's thirty million inhabitants are younger than the age of 25.
Youthful advocate Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "different faces" as she believes "prolonged leadership naturally results in a kind of inertia".
"With 43 years passed, the population are weary," she says.
Young people's joblessness has become a notable discussion topic for the majority of the candidates running in the political race.
Approximately 40% of young citizens between 15-35 are jobless, with 23% of recent graduates facing challenges in securing formal employment.
Opposition Candidates
Beyond young people's job issues, the election system has also stirred dispute, notably concerning the removal of a political rival from the election contest.
The removal, confirmed by the legal authority, was widely criticised as a tactic to stop any serious competition to President Biya.
Twelve aspirants were cleared to vie for the country's top job, featuring an ex-government official and Bello Bouba Maigari - each previous Biya associates from the north of the country.
Voting Difficulties
In Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and South-West regions, where a extended rebellion ongoing, an election boycott lockdown has been established, halting economic functions, movement and learning.
Rebel groups who have established it have threatened to harm people who casts a ballot.
Since 2017, those seeking to create a breakaway state have been battling state security.
The violence has to date killed at no fewer than 6,000 individuals and compelled nearly 500,000 others from their houses.
Vote Outcome
Following the election, the highest court has fifteen days to reveal the findings.
The interior minister has earlier advised that no candidate is permitted to claim success prior to official results.
"Individuals who will try to announce results of the leadership vote or any self-proclaimed victory contrary to the regulations of the country would have broken rules and need to be prepared to encounter consequences commensurate to their crime."
