Will this planet's most aged president retain his title and woo a nation of young electorate?
This planet's oldest leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has assured Cameroon's voters "better days are ahead" as he pursues his 8th straight presidential term on Sunday.
The elderly leader has already been in office since 1982 - another seven-year mandate could see him rule for half a century until he will be almost a century old.
Campaign Issues
He defied numerous appeals to resign and drew backlash for making merely a single campaign event, using the majority of the campaign period on a ten-day private trip to Europe.
Negative reaction concerning his reliance on an artificial intelligence created campaign video, as his challengers courted constituents directly, led to his hurried travel north after coming back.
Youth Voters and Joblessness
This indicates for the great bulk of the population, Biya remains the sole leader they experienced - more than sixty percent of Cameroon's 30 million people are below the quarter century mark.
Youthful political activist Marie Flore Mboussi is desperate for "fresh leadership" as she thinks "prolonged leadership naturally results in a kind of inertia".
"After 43 years, the population are exhausted," she states.
Employment challenges for youth has become a notable talking point for the majority of the candidates running in the election.
Almost 40% of youthful citizens aged from 15 to 35 years are jobless, with twenty-three percent of young graduates encountering difficulties in finding formal employment.
Opposition Contenders
In addition to young people's job issues, the electoral process has created controversy, notably concerning the disqualification of a political rival from the leadership competition.
The disqualification, confirmed by the highest court, was broadly condemned as a strategy to block any serious competition to the current leader.
A dozen candidates were approved to vie for the leadership position, including Issa Tchiroma Bakary and a previous supporter - each previous Biya allies from the north of the country.
Voting Difficulties
In Cameroon's English-speaking North-West and South-West territories, where a long-running separatist conflict ongoing, an election boycott lockdown has been imposed, halting business activities, transport and learning.
Insurgents who have established it have warned to target anyone who participates.
Starting four years ago, those attempting to establish a separate nation have been clashing with state security.
The violence has until now resulted in at minimum 6k individuals and caused approximately five hundred thousand residents from their houses.
Vote Outcome
After Sunday's vote, the legal body has 15 days to reveal the findings.
The interior minister has earlier advised that no aspirant is authorized to declare victory prior to official results.
"Those who will try to announce results of the leadership vote or any self-proclaimed victory in violation of the regulations of the republic would have violated boundaries and must prepare to receive penalties appropriate for their offense."
