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The world's oldest leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has pledged Cameroon's electorate "the best is still to come" as he aims for his 8th consecutive term in office on Sunday.

The nonagenarian has stayed in office since 1982 - another 7-year term could extend his reign for half a century making him almost a century old.

Campaign Controversies

He resisted widespread calls to leave office and faced criticism for making merely one rally, using the majority of the campaign period on a week-and-a-half personal visit to the European continent.

Negative reaction regarding his reliance on an artificial intelligence created political commercial, as his opponents actively wooed supporters on the ground, saw him rush to the northern region on his return home.

Young Population and Unemployment

This indicates for the vast majority of the population, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they remember - more than sixty percent of the nation's 30 million inhabitants are under the quarter century mark.

Young campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "fresh leadership" as she maintains "longevity in power inevitably leads to a sort of complacency".

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

Youth unemployment has been a notable talking point for most of the aspirants competing in the election.

Approximately 40% of youthful citizens aged from 15-35 are jobless, with twenty-three percent of college-educated youth encountering difficulties in finding formal employment.

Rival Candidates

Apart from young people's job issues, the electoral process has also stirred dispute, especially with the exclusion of an opposition leader from the leadership competition.

His exclusion, approved by the Constitutional Council, was widely criticised as a strategy to prevent any significant opposition to the current leader.

Twelve contenders were cleared to vie for the country's top job, featuring an ex-government official and a previous supporter - each former Biya allies from the northern region of the country.

Election Challenges

Within the nation's English-speaking Northwest and South-West regions, where a protracted separatist conflict ongoing, an election boycott closure has been established, paralysing economic functions, travel and education.

Insurgents who have established it have promised to attack individuals who does vote.

Since 2017, those seeking to create a independent territory have been battling official military.

The violence has until now resulted in at minimum six thousand people and forced nearly half a million others from their homes.

Vote Outcome

Following the election, the Constitutional Council has fifteen days to declare the findings.

The government official has previously cautioned that none of the contenders is allowed to declare victory in advance.

"Those who will try to announce results of the political race or any unofficial win announcement in violation of the laws of the country would have broken rules and must prepare to encounter penalties matching their offense."