Can this planet's oldest leader keep his position and attract a nation of young voters?
The world's oldest head of state - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has assured Cameroon's voters "the future holds promise" as he aims for his eighth straight presidential term this weekend.
The 92-year-old has stayed in power since 1982 - another 7-year term could extend his reign for half a century making him almost a century old.
Election Issues
He defied numerous appeals to step down and drew backlash for making merely one public appearance, spending most of the campaign period on a ten-day private trip to the European continent.
Negative reaction regarding his reliance on an computer-generated election advertisement, as his rivals sought voters in person, led to his hurried travel north after coming back.
Young Population and Joblessness
Consequently for the great bulk of the citizenry, Biya remains the sole leader they have known - over 60% of the nation's 30 million people are younger than the age of 25.
Youthful political activist Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "fresh leadership" as she maintains "extended rule typically causes a kind of laziness".
"With 43 years passed, the people are tired," she declares.
Youth unemployment remains a specific talking point for nearly all the candidates running in the vote.
Nearly 40% of youthful citizens aged from 15 to 35 years are jobless, with 23% of recent graduates encountering difficulties in obtaining regular work.
Rival Contenders
Beyond youth unemployment, the election system has also stirred dispute, particularly regarding the removal of a political rival from the leadership competition.
The removal, approved by the Constitutional Council, was generally denounced as a tactic to block any significant opposition to President Biya.
A dozen candidates were authorized to vie for the country's top job, featuring an ex-government official and Bello Bouba Maigari - both former Biya colleagues from the northern region of the country.
Election Challenges
In Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and Southwest areas, where a extended rebellion continues, an election boycott lockdown has been imposed, halting economic functions, transport and education.
Insurgents who have established it have promised to attack individuals who does vote.
Since 2017, those seeking to create a separate nation have been fighting official military.
The fighting has until now caused the deaths of at no fewer than 6k people and forced approximately five hundred thousand people from their residences.
Vote Outcome
Following the election, the highest court has 15 days to declare the outcome.
The government official has already warned that no aspirant is permitted to announce winning in advance.
"Candidates who will try to declare outcomes of the presidential election or any self-proclaimed victory against the laws of the nation would have violated boundaries and must prepare to encounter consequences appropriate for their offense."
