🔗 Share this article Can the planet's oldest president keep his title and woo a country of youthful electorate? The world's most aged leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has assured the nation's voters "the best is still to come" as he pursues his eighth consecutive term in office on Sunday. The nonagenarian has stayed in power for over four decades - another 7-year mandate could keep him in power for half a century until he will be almost 100. Election Controversies He defied widespread calls to resign and drew backlash for only showing up for one public appearance, spending most of the election season on a 10-day private trip to the European continent. A backlash regarding his reliance on an AI-generated campaign video, as his rivals actively wooed constituents directly, prompted his quick return north after coming back. Young Voters and Unemployment Consequently for the large portion of the citizenry, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they have known - above sixty percent of the nation's thirty million residents are below the quarter century mark. Young campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "new blood" as she thinks "longevity in power typically causes a kind of laziness". "After 43 years, the population are weary," she states. Youth unemployment remains a specific issue of concern for nearly all the aspirants participating in the election. Nearly 40% of youthful citizens between 15-35 are without work, with twenty-three percent of recent graduates facing challenges in obtaining official jobs. Opposition Candidates In addition to young people's job issues, the electoral process has created dispute, notably concerning the removal of a political rival from the leadership competition. The disqualification, confirmed by the highest court, was generally denounced as a ploy to prevent any significant opposition to President Biya. 12 candidates were approved to vie for the country's top job, comprising Issa Tchiroma Bakary and another former ally - both previous Biya colleagues from the north of the nation. Voting Challenges In Cameroon's English-speaking Northwest and South-West regions, where a long-running rebellion persists, an election boycott closure has been imposed, stopping economic functions, travel and learning. The separatists who have enforced it have threatened to harm individuals who participates. Since 2017, those attempting to establish a separate nation have been clashing with state security. The conflict has so far caused the deaths of at no fewer than 6,000 lives and caused nearly half a million others from their houses. Vote Outcome After Sunday's vote, the legal body has two weeks to announce the findings. The government official has previously cautioned that no candidate is allowed to claim success beforehand. "Those who will try to declare outcomes of the political race or any unofficial win announcement against the laws of the nation would have broken rules and should be ready to encounter consequences appropriate for their crime."