Can the planet's oldest president retain the position and attract a nation of young voters?

The world's most aged head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has pledged the nation's electorate "the future holds promise" as he seeks his 8th straight term in office on Sunday.

The nonagenarian has remained in power since 1982 - an additional seven-year mandate could see him rule for half a century making him almost a century old.

Election Issues

He resisted widespread calls to step down and has been criticised for attending just a single campaign event, devoting much of the election season on a week-and-a-half personal visit to the European continent.

Negative reaction over his reliance on an computer-generated election advertisement, as his challengers sought supporters in person, saw him rush north on his return home.

Young Voters and Unemployment

Consequently for the vast majority of the people, Biya is the only president they remember - more than 60% of the nation's thirty million people are younger than the quarter century mark.

Young advocate Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "new blood" as she believes "extended rule inevitably leads to a sort of complacency".

"Following four decades, the citizens are tired," she declares.

Employment challenges for youth has become a notable talking point for nearly all the candidates competing in the election.

Nearly forty percent of youthful citizens aged from 15 to 35 years are unemployed, with 23% of college-educated youth encountering difficulties in finding formal employment.

Rival Candidates

In addition to young people's job issues, the election system has also stirred debate, particularly regarding the exclusion of an opposition leader from the election contest.

The disqualification, approved by the legal authority, was widely criticised as a tactic to block any significant opposition to the current leader.

A dozen aspirants were cleared to vie for the presidency, featuring a former minister and a previous supporter - both previous Biya associates from the northern region of the nation.

Voting Challenges

Within the nation's Anglophone North-West and Southwest regions, where a extended rebellion ongoing, an voting prohibition restriction has been enforced, paralysing economic functions, travel and learning.

The separatists who have established it have threatened to target anyone who does vote.

Beginning in 2017, those working toward a breakaway state have been battling official military.

The violence has so far caused the deaths of at minimum 6,000 individuals and caused almost half a million others from their homes.

Election Results

After Sunday's vote, the Constitutional Council has two weeks to reveal the findings.

The government official has previously cautioned that none of the contenders is permitted to claim success in advance.

"Those who will attempt to declare outcomes of the political race or any personal declaration of success in violation of the rules of the country would have violated boundaries and need to be prepared to receive consequences commensurate to their offense."