Can this world's most aged president keep the title and attract a nation of young electorate?
The world's oldest head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has assured the nation's electorate "the best is still to come" as he aims for his eighth straight term in office on Sunday.
The nonagenarian has remained in power for over four decades - another 7-year mandate could see him rule for 50 years reaching almost a century old.
Election Controversies
He resisted numerous appeals to step down and faced criticism for making merely a single campaign event, devoting much of the political race on a ten-day unofficial journey to Europe.
A backlash over his reliance on an AI-generated campaign video, as his challengers courted supporters in person, saw him rush to the northern region upon his arrival.
Youth Voters and Unemployment
It means that for the great bulk of the people, Biya is the only president they remember - more than sixty percent of the nation's 30 million people are under the quarter century mark.
Youthful advocate Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "new blood" as she thinks "longevity in power naturally results in a kind of inertia".
"After 43 years, the population are tired," she says.
Youth unemployment has been a particular discussion topic for the majority of the contenders competing in the vote.
Approximately forty percent of young citizens aged from 15 to 35 years are jobless, with 23% of young graduates facing challenges in obtaining formal employment.
Rival Candidates
In addition to young people's job issues, the electoral process has also stirred debate, particularly regarding the disqualification of a political rival from the election contest.
His exclusion, confirmed by the highest court, was broadly condemned as a ploy to stop any strong challenge to the incumbent.
12 contenders were cleared to compete for the presidency, including Issa Tchiroma Bakary and another former ally - both former Biya colleagues from the north of the country.
Voting Challenges
In Cameroon's Anglophone Northwest and Southwest regions, where a protracted rebellion persists, an election boycott lockdown has been enforced, paralysing commercial operations, transport and schooling.
Rebel groups who have imposed it have warned to target people who casts a ballot.
Starting four years ago, those seeking to create a separate nation have been battling state security.
The fighting has so far resulted in at minimum 6,000 individuals and forced nearly 500,000 residents from their houses.
Vote Outcome
Following the election, the legal body has fifteen days to declare the outcome.
The government official has earlier advised that none of the contenders is allowed to claim success prior to official results.
"Candidates who will attempt to declare outcomes of the presidential election or any personal declaration of success against the rules of the country would have violated boundaries and must prepare to face penalties matching their crime."
