Can this world's most aged leader keep the title and woo a nation of youthful voters?

This world's most aged leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has pledged Cameroon's voters "the best is still to come" as he aims for his 8th consecutive presidential term this weekend.

The elderly leader has stayed in power since 1982 - an additional 7-year term could see him rule for 50 years reaching almost 100.

Campaign Controversies

He ignored numerous appeals to step down and faced criticism for making merely a single campaign event, spending most of the election season on a ten-day private trip to Europe.

Criticism concerning his dependence on an artificial intelligence created campaign video, as his challengers sought constituents on the ground, prompted his quick return north on his return home.

Young Population and Unemployment

It means that for the large portion of the people, Biya remains the sole leader they have known - more than sixty percent of Cameroon's thirty million people are under the quarter century mark.

Young political activist Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "fresh leadership" as she thinks "extended rule inevitably leads to a type of inertia".

"Following four decades, the people are exhausted," she declares.

Employment challenges for youth has been a specific issue of concern for most of the contenders running in the political race.

Approximately forty percent of youthful citizens aged from 15 and 35 are jobless, with twenty-three percent of recent graduates facing challenges in finding official jobs.

Rival Candidates

In addition to youth unemployment, the electoral process has also stirred controversy, notably concerning the exclusion of Maurice Kamto from the leadership competition.

The removal, confirmed by the highest court, was generally denounced as a tactic to block any significant opposition to the current leader.

12 contenders were cleared to vie for the leadership position, featuring an ex-government official and a previous supporter - the two ex- Biya colleagues from the north of the nation.

Election Difficulties

In Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, where a extended separatist conflict continues, an election boycott closure has been established, halting economic functions, transport and schooling.

The separatists who have enforced it have warned to harm anyone who does vote.

Since 2017, those attempting to establish a independent territory have been battling state security.

The fighting has until now resulted in at least six thousand individuals and forced nearly half a million others from their residences.

Election Results

After Sunday's vote, the legal body has fifteen days to reveal the findings.

The interior minister has already warned that none of the contenders is permitted to announce winning in advance.

"Individuals who will seek to declare outcomes of the leadership vote or any self-proclaimed victory against the rules of the country would have crossed the red line and should be ready to encounter consequences commensurate to their offense."