Will this planet's oldest president keep his position and attract a nation of youthful electorate?
The planet's most aged leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has promised the nation's electorate "better days are ahead" as he seeks his eighth straight presidential term on Sunday.
The 92-year-old has stayed in power since 1982 - another seven-year mandate could see him rule for 50 years making him almost 100.
Campaign Issues
He defied broad demands to step down and drew backlash for only showing up for one public appearance, using the majority of the campaign period on a ten-day unofficial journey to the European continent.
A backlash over his use of an AI-generated campaign video, as his rivals actively wooed voters in person, saw him rush north on his return home.
Young Population and Joblessness
It means that for the large portion of the people, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they experienced - over 60% of Cameroon's thirty million residents are under the age of 25.
Young advocate Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "different faces" as she believes "prolonged leadership typically causes a type of laziness".
"With 43 years passed, the population are weary," she states.
Employment challenges for youth remains a notable discussion topic for nearly all the aspirants participating in the vote.
Nearly forty percent of young Cameroonians aged from 15 to 35 years are jobless, with twenty-three percent of young graduates facing challenges in obtaining regular work.
Opposition Candidates
Beyond young people's job issues, the electoral process has generated controversy, especially with the exclusion of an opposition leader from the presidential race.
The disqualification, confirmed by the Constitutional Council, was generally denounced as a tactic to block any strong challenge to the incumbent.
12 contenders were authorized to vie for the presidency, featuring Issa Tchiroma Bakary and a previous supporter - the two previous Biya colleagues from the north of the country.
Voting Challenges
In Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest and South-West regions, where a protracted separatist conflict ongoing, an election boycott lockdown has been enforced, halting economic functions, movement and education.
The separatists who have imposed it have promised to harm anyone who does vote.
Starting four years ago, those working toward a separate nation have been fighting government forces.
The conflict has until now killed at no fewer than six thousand lives and forced nearly half a million residents from their residences.
Vote Outcome
After Sunday's vote, the Constitutional Council has fifteen days to reveal the results.
The interior minister has already warned that none of the contenders is permitted to claim success prior to official results.
"Individuals who will try to announce results of the presidential election or any self-proclaimed victory contrary to the rules of the republic would have broken rules and must prepare to receive consequences matching their violation."
