Will this world's most aged leader retain his position and woo a nation of young electorate?
This planet's most aged head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has pledged the nation's voters "the future holds promise" as he seeks his 8th straight presidential term 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.
Election Issues
He ignored widespread calls to resign and has been criticised for only showing up for one public appearance, devoting much of the political race on a 10-day personal visit to Europe.
Criticism regarding his dependence on an computer-generated campaign video, as his challengers sought voters directly, saw him rush to the northern region upon his arrival.
Young Voters and Unemployment
This indicates for the vast majority of the people, Biya is the only president they experienced - more than sixty percent of Cameroon's 30 million inhabitants are under the quarter century mark.
Young campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "different faces" as she believes "extended rule inevitably leads to a sort of complacency".
"Following four decades, the population are weary," she says.
Youth unemployment has been a notable issue of concern for nearly all the candidates running in the political race.
Almost forty percent of youthful citizens between 15-35 are unemployed, with 23% of recent graduates experiencing problems in securing formal employment.
Rival Contenders
Apart from young people's job issues, the electoral process has created dispute, notably concerning the disqualification of Maurice Kamto from the election contest.
The removal, upheld by the legal authority, was broadly condemned as a tactic to stop any strong challenge to the current leader.
Twelve contenders were authorized to compete for the presidency, featuring Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari - the two former Biya associates from the north of the nation.
Voting Challenges
Within the nation's Anglophone Northwest and South-West regions, where a long-running rebellion continues, an election boycott restriction has been imposed, halting economic functions, transport and learning.
Insurgents who have established it have threatened to attack individuals who does vote.
Since 2017, those seeking to create a separate nation have been clashing with state security.
The conflict has to date killed at no fewer than six thousand individuals and forced approximately half a million people from their houses.
Vote Outcome
Once polling concludes, the Constitutional Council has fifteen days to reveal the findings.
The government official has previously cautioned that no aspirant is allowed to announce winning in advance.
"Individuals who will attempt to reveal findings of the leadership vote or any unofficial win announcement contrary to the regulations of the country would have broken rules and must prepare to encounter retaliatory measures commensurate to their violation."
