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This planet's oldest leader - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has promised Cameroon's electorate "the future holds promise" as he seeks his eighth consecutive term in office on Sunday.

The elderly leader has remained in office for over four decades - an additional seven-year mandate could extend his reign for 50 years making him almost a century old.

Election Issues

He ignored numerous appeals to resign and has been criticised for making merely one public appearance, spending most of the campaign period on a week-and-a-half unofficial journey to the European continent.

A backlash regarding his reliance on an AI-generated election advertisement, as his opponents actively wooed voters in person, led to his hurried travel to the northern region upon his arrival.

Youth Population and Unemployment

This indicates for the large portion of the citizenry, Biya is the only president they experienced - over sixty percent of the nation's 30 million residents are younger than the 25 years old.

Youthful political activist Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "new blood" as she believes "longevity in power naturally results in a kind of laziness".

"After 43 years, the population are exhausted," she declares.

Employment challenges for youth has been a notable issue of concern for the majority of the candidates running in the political race.

Approximately forty percent of youthful residents aged from 15-35 are jobless, with 23% of young graduates encountering difficulties in obtaining official jobs.

Opposition Candidates

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

The removal, approved by the highest court, was generally denounced as a tactic to prevent any strong challenge to the incumbent.

A dozen candidates were approved to contest for the presidency, including an ex-government official and another former ally - each previous Biya associates from the northern region of the country.

Election Difficulties

In Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest and South-West territories, where a long-running rebellion ongoing, an voting prohibition lockdown has been established, paralysing economic functions, transport and education.

Insurgents who have enforced it have promised to harm individuals who participates.

Starting four years ago, those seeking to create a separate nation have been fighting state security.

The conflict has to date killed at minimum 6k individuals and caused almost five hundred thousand people from their residences.

Election Results

Once polling concludes, the Constitutional Council has 15 days to reveal the findings.

The security chief has already warned that none of the contenders is authorized to claim success beforehand.

"Individuals who will try to declare outcomes of the political race or any self-proclaimed victory contrary to the rules of the country would have broken rules and need to be prepared to encounter penalties matching their offense."