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The world's most aged head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has assured the nation's electorate "the best is still to come" as he aims for his eighth consecutive term in office on Sunday.

The nonagenarian has stayed in office since 1982 - an additional seven-year mandate could see him rule for 50 years until he will be almost 100.

Election Controversies

He ignored numerous appeals to leave office and faced criticism for making merely one public appearance, using the majority of the campaign period on a ten-day personal visit to the European continent.

Criticism concerning his reliance on an computer-generated election advertisement, as his opponents actively wooed constituents on the ground, saw him rush north after coming back.

Youth Population and Unemployment

Consequently for the vast majority of the population, Biya is the only president they experienced - above 60% of Cameroon's thirty million people are below the 25 years old.

Young campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "new blood" as she maintains "longevity in power typically causes a kind of laziness".

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

Youth unemployment has been a specific discussion topic for nearly all the candidates competing in the political race.

Nearly forty percent of young citizens aged from 15-35 are jobless, with 23% of recent graduates experiencing problems in securing formal employment.

Opposition Contenders

Apart from young people's job issues, the election system has generated debate, especially with the removal of an opposition leader from the election contest.

The disqualification, approved by the highest court, was generally denounced as a ploy to prevent any serious competition to the current leader.

12 contenders were cleared to contest for the country's top job, comprising Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari - each previous Biya colleagues from the north of the nation.

Voting Challenges

In Cameroon's Anglophone Northwest and Southwest territories, where a protracted rebellion ongoing, an poll avoidance closure has been enforced, stopping economic functions, transport and education.

The separatists who have enforced it have warned to target people who casts a ballot.

Since 2017, those attempting to establish a independent territory have been battling state security.

The fighting has to date resulted in at no fewer than 6k lives and caused approximately half a million others from their houses.

Election Results

Following the election, the legal body has fifteen days to announce the findings.

The interior minister has previously cautioned that no candidate is permitted to announce winning beforehand.

"Those who will try to announce results of the presidential election or any personal declaration of success in violation of the laws of the country would have crossed the red line and need to be prepared to encounter consequences matching their crime."