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The world's oldest head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has promised the nation's voters "the future holds promise" as he pursues his 8th straight presidential term this weekend.

The 92-year-old has stayed in power for over four decades - another 7-year term could see him rule for 50 years making him almost a century old.

Campaign Issues

He resisted broad demands to leave office and drew backlash for only showing up for one public appearance, using the majority of the campaign period on a ten-day private trip to Europe.

Criticism over his reliance on an artificial intelligence created election advertisement, as his opponents actively wooed voters on the ground, saw him rush to the northern region upon his arrival.

Youth Voters and Joblessness

This indicates for the large portion of the people, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they experienced - above 60% of Cameroon's thirty million people are under the 25 years old.

Youthful campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi is desperate for "fresh leadership" as she believes "extended rule inevitably leads to a kind of laziness".

"Following four decades, the people are tired," she says.

Employment challenges for youth remains a specific discussion topic for most of the aspirants running in the election.

Almost forty percent of youthful citizens aged from 15 to 35 years are without work, with twenty-three percent of young graduates experiencing problems in finding formal employment.

Opposition Candidates

In addition to youth unemployment, the voting procedure has also stirred controversy, especially with the exclusion of Maurice Kamto from the leadership competition.

His exclusion, approved by the Constitutional Council, was widely criticised as a strategy to stop any serious competition to the current leader.

A dozen aspirants were approved to contest for the presidency, including a former minister and Bello Bouba Maigari - the two former Biya allies from the north of the nation.

Voting Challenges

In Cameroon's Anglophone Northwest and Southwest areas, where a long-running separatist conflict ongoing, an election boycott closure has been imposed, paralysing commercial operations, movement and learning.

Rebel groups who have established it have warned to attack anyone who participates.

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

The fighting has until now caused the deaths of at no fewer than 6,000 lives and forced approximately 500,000 others from their homes.

Vote Outcome

Once polling concludes, the Constitutional Council has fifteen days to declare the results.

The interior minister has earlier advised that no aspirant is allowed to announce winning beforehand.

"Candidates who will try to announce results of the political race or any self-proclaimed victory against the regulations of the republic would have crossed the red line and must prepare to face retaliatory measures matching their offense."