Will this world's most aged president keep the title and woo a country of young voters?
This world's oldest leader - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has pledged Cameroon's electorate "better days are ahead" as he pursues his eighth straight term in office on Sunday.
The 92-year-old has remained in office since 1982 - an additional 7-year term could extend his reign for 50 years making him almost 100.
Election Issues
He ignored numerous appeals to step down and faced criticism for attending just one rally, using the majority of the political race on a week-and-a-half unofficial journey to the European continent.
Criticism concerning his dependence on an AI-generated campaign video, as his rivals courted supporters directly, saw him rush to the northern region after coming back.
Youth Voters and Unemployment
It means that for the large portion of the citizenry, Biya is the only president they remember - over sixty percent of Cameroon's 30 million residents are under the quarter century mark.
Youthful campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "different faces" as she believes "longevity in power naturally results in a sort of inertia".
"With 43 years passed, the citizens are exhausted," she states.
Employment challenges for youth has been a specific discussion topic for nearly all the aspirants participating in the election.
Approximately 40% of young citizens aged from 15 to 35 years are jobless, with twenty-three percent of college-educated youth experiencing problems in obtaining official jobs.
Opposition Candidates
Beyond youth unemployment, the election system has generated controversy, particularly regarding the disqualification of a political rival from the presidential race.
The removal, confirmed by the Constitutional Council, was broadly condemned as a ploy to block any strong challenge to the incumbent.
12 contenders were approved to vie for the leadership position, featuring Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari - both ex- Biya colleagues from the north of the country.
Election Difficulties
In Cameroon's Anglophone Northwest and South-West areas, where a protracted insurgency persists, an election boycott closure has been enforced, halting business activities, transport and learning.
Rebel groups who have imposed it have promised to target anyone who does vote.
Since 2017, those working toward a separate nation have been battling state security.
The conflict has until now killed at minimum six thousand people and compelled approximately five hundred thousand residents from their houses.
Vote Outcome
Following the election, the highest court has 15 days to declare the findings.
The government official has earlier advised that no aspirant is authorized to announce winning beforehand.
"Candidates who will attempt to reveal findings of the presidential election or any unofficial win announcement contrary to the laws of the republic would have broken rules and need to be prepared to encounter penalties commensurate to their crime."
