Can this planet's most aged leader retain the position and attract a nation of young electorate?

The world's most aged head of state - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has pledged the nation's electorate "the future holds promise" as he pursues his 8th consecutive term in office on Sunday.

The 92-year-old has already been in power since 1982 - an additional seven-year mandate could extend his reign for half a century until he will be almost a century old.

Campaign Issues

He resisted widespread calls to step down and has been criticised for only showing up for one public appearance, spending most of the political race on a week-and-a-half personal visit to the European continent.

A backlash concerning his use of an artificial intelligence created political commercial, as his rivals actively wooed constituents on the ground, led to his hurried travel north upon his arrival.

Youth Voters and Joblessness

Consequently for the large portion of the citizenry, Biya remains the sole leader they have known - more than sixty percent of Cameroon's 30 million people are below the age of 25.

Youthful campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "fresh leadership" as she maintains "prolonged leadership naturally results in a kind of complacency".

"After 43 years, the citizens are exhausted," she states.

Employment challenges for youth has been a particular discussion topic for most of the aspirants running in the vote.

Almost forty percent of young citizens aged from 15-35 are jobless, with twenty-three percent of college-educated youth encountering difficulties in securing official jobs.

Rival Contenders

Apart from young people's job issues, the electoral process has generated debate, especially with the removal of Maurice Kamto from the leadership competition.

The disqualification, confirmed by the legal authority, was broadly condemned as a strategy to block any strong challenge to President Biya.

Twelve contenders were authorized to compete for the presidency, including Issa Tchiroma Bakary and another former ally - each former Biya associates from the northern region of the country.

Election Challenges

Within the nation's Anglophone North-West and South-West regions, where a extended rebellion persists, an voting prohibition restriction has been established, stopping business activities, movement and schooling.

Insurgents who have established it have warned to harm individuals who does vote.

Beginning in 2017, those seeking to create a independent territory have been clashing with government forces.

The violence has so far caused the deaths of at minimum 6,000 lives and compelled approximately half a million people from their homes.

Election Results

Once polling concludes, the legal body has two weeks to declare the findings.

The government official has already warned that no aspirant is permitted to announce winning beforehand.

"Individuals who will try to announce results of the political race or any personal declaration of success against the rules of the nation would have violated boundaries and need to be prepared to encounter retaliatory measures commensurate to their crime."