Will the world's most aged leader keep the position and attract a country of youthful electorate?
The world's oldest leader - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has pledged Cameroon's voters "better days are ahead" as he aims for his 8th straight term in office on Sunday.
The nonagenarian has remained in power for over four decades - another seven-year mandate could extend his reign for half a century making him almost 100.
Election Issues
He defied numerous appeals to step down and has been criticised for making merely one public appearance, using the majority of the election season on a ten-day personal visit to the European continent.
Criticism concerning his dependence on an artificial intelligence created election advertisement, as his opponents actively wooed supporters on the ground, prompted his quick return north upon his arrival.
Youth Voters and Unemployment
Consequently for the vast majority of the people, Biya is the only president they have known - more than sixty percent of Cameroon's thirty million residents are younger than the quarter century mark.
Young political activist Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "different faces" as she maintains "prolonged leadership inevitably leads to a kind of laziness".
"With 43 years passed, the citizens are exhausted," she declares.
Young people's joblessness has become a notable talking point for the majority of the candidates participating in the vote.
Nearly forty percent of youthful residents aged from 15 to 35 years are without work, with 23% of recent graduates experiencing problems in securing official jobs.
Opposition Contenders
In addition to young people's job issues, the electoral process has generated controversy, notably concerning the disqualification of Maurice Kamto from the election contest.
The disqualification, approved by the legal authority, was widely criticised as a tactic to block any significant opposition to the current leader.
Twelve aspirants were cleared to vie for the presidency, featuring Issa Tchiroma Bakary and a previous supporter - each ex- Biya colleagues from the northern region of the nation.
Voting Challenges
In Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and South-West areas, where a extended separatist conflict persists, an poll avoidance closure has been established, stopping economic functions, movement and schooling.
Rebel groups who have enforced it have threatened to harm anyone who participates.
Beginning in 2017, those seeking to create a breakaway state have been clashing with government forces.
The fighting has so far killed at no fewer than 6k lives and caused nearly five hundred thousand residents from their residences.
Vote Outcome
Following the election, the legal body has two weeks to announce the findings.
The government official has earlier advised that none of the contenders is allowed to claim success beforehand.
"Candidates who will attempt to declare outcomes of the presidential election or any unofficial win announcement against the rules of the country would have broken rules and need to be prepared to face consequences commensurate to their crime."
