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This world's oldest head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has assured Cameroon's electorate "the best is still to come" as he pursues his 8th consecutive term in office on Sunday.

The 92-year-old has already been in office since 1982 - an additional 7-year mandate could keep him in power for 50 years reaching almost a century old.

Campaign Controversies

He ignored numerous appeals to leave office and faced criticism for making merely a single campaign event, using the majority of the election season on a ten-day private trip to Europe.

Negative reaction regarding his use of an AI-generated political commercial, as his rivals sought voters on the ground, saw him rush to the northern region on his return home.

Youth Population and Unemployment

It means that for the vast majority of the population, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they have known - above sixty percent of the nation's thirty million inhabitants are under the 25 years old.

Youthful advocate Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "new blood" as she maintains "longevity in power naturally results in a type of inertia".

"With 43 years passed, the citizens are tired," she states.

Youth unemployment has become a particular issue of concern for the majority of the contenders running in the political race.

Nearly forty percent of youthful residents aged from 15 and 35 are without work, with 23% of recent graduates facing challenges in obtaining formal employment.

Opposition Candidates

In addition to youth unemployment, the voting procedure has generated dispute, notably concerning the exclusion of an opposition leader from the leadership competition.

The removal, approved by the Constitutional Council, was widely criticised as a ploy to stop any significant opposition to the current leader.

Twelve contenders were authorized to compete for the country's top job, including Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari - each ex- Biya allies from the northern region of the country.

Voting Difficulties

Within the nation's English-speaking North-West and South-West territories, where a protracted rebellion continues, an voting prohibition restriction has been enforced, paralysing commercial operations, transport and education.

Insurgents who have imposed it have warned to target anyone who participates.

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

The violence has so far killed at minimum six thousand people and caused approximately five hundred thousand others from their residences.

Election Results

Once polling concludes, the highest court has 15 days to announce the findings.

The interior minister has already warned that no aspirant is permitted to declare victory beforehand.

"Those who will try to declare outcomes of the presidential election or any personal declaration of success in violation of the regulations of the nation would have crossed the red line and should be ready to receive consequences matching their crime."