Will this world's oldest leader keep his title and woo a nation of young electorate?
The planet's most aged leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has assured the nation's electorate "the best is still to come" as he aims for his eighth straight presidential term on Sunday.
The nonagenarian has already been in office for over four decades - an additional seven-year term could keep him in power for half a century making him almost 100.
Election Controversies
He defied widespread calls to leave office and has been criticised for making merely a single campaign event, using the majority of the election season on a 10-day unofficial journey to Europe.
A backlash concerning his dependence on an computer-generated campaign video, as his challengers actively wooed constituents on the ground, saw him rush to the northern region upon his arrival.
Young Voters and Unemployment
Consequently for the great bulk of the people, Biya is the only president they remember - over sixty percent of the nation's thirty million residents are under the quarter century mark.
Young political activist Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "new blood" as she maintains "longevity in power naturally results in a kind of complacency".
"With 43 years passed, the citizens are weary," she declares.
Young people's joblessness remains a notable issue of concern for nearly all the candidates participating in the election.
Approximately 40% of youthful Cameroonians between 15 to 35 years are unemployed, with 23% of young graduates encountering difficulties in securing formal employment.
Opposition Candidates
In addition to youth unemployment, the voting procedure has also stirred controversy, especially with the exclusion of an opposition leader from the election contest.
The removal, approved by the Constitutional Council, was widely criticised as a strategy to block any strong challenge to the incumbent.
A dozen candidates were cleared to contest for the country's top job, comprising an ex-government official and a previous supporter - each ex- Biya allies from the north of the nation.
Election Difficulties
In Cameroon's Anglophone Northwest and Southwest areas, where a extended rebellion persists, an election boycott closure has been established, halting economic functions, movement and education.
Rebel groups who have enforced it have warned to target individuals who casts a ballot.
Starting four years ago, those working toward a breakaway state have been fighting government forces.
The conflict has until now resulted in at minimum 6k lives and caused nearly 500,000 people from their residences.
Vote Outcome
After Sunday's vote, the Constitutional Council has two weeks to declare the results.
The security chief has already warned that no aspirant is allowed to declare victory beforehand.
"Individuals who will try to announce results of the political race or any personal declaration of success in violation of the regulations of the republic would have broken rules and must prepare to encounter retaliatory measures matching their crime."
