Will the world's oldest leader keep his title and attract a country of youthful voters?
This world's oldest head of state - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has assured the nation's electorate "better days are ahead" as he pursues his eighth consecutive term in office on Sunday.
The 92-year-old has already been in power for over four decades - an additional 7-year term could keep him in power for 50 years reaching almost 100.
Election Controversies
He resisted numerous appeals to resign and faced criticism for making merely a single campaign event, using the majority of the election season on a 10-day private trip to the European continent.
A backlash over his reliance on an artificial intelligence created political commercial, as his opponents sought constituents on the ground, led to his hurried travel north after coming back.
Youth Voters and Joblessness
It means that for the large portion of the citizenry, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they have known - over sixty percent of the nation's 30 million inhabitants are below the age of 25.
Youthful political activist Marie Flore Mboussi is desperate for "new blood" as she believes "prolonged leadership naturally results in a kind of complacency".
"After 43 years, the population are exhausted," she says.
Young people's joblessness has been a notable issue of concern for the majority of the aspirants running in the political race.
Approximately forty percent of young Cameroonians between 15 to 35 years are without work, with twenty-three percent of college-educated youth facing challenges in finding official jobs.
Opposition Contenders
Apart from young people's job issues, the voting procedure has also stirred dispute, particularly regarding the disqualification of a political rival from the leadership competition.
The removal, approved by the Constitutional Council, was widely criticised as a strategy to prevent any serious competition to President Biya.
12 candidates were approved to compete for the presidency, comprising an ex-government official and a previous supporter - the two former Biya colleagues from the northern region of the nation.
Election Difficulties
In Cameroon's English-speaking North-West and Southwest territories, where a protracted separatist conflict ongoing, an voting prohibition restriction has been enforced, halting business activities, transport and education.
Rebel groups who have enforced it have threatened to harm individuals who casts a ballot.
Since 2017, those seeking to create a independent territory have been clashing with state security.
The fighting has until now resulted in at minimum 6,000 people and caused almost five hundred thousand people from their residences.
Election Results
Once polling concludes, the legal body has 15 days to declare the outcome.
The government official has earlier advised that no candidate is allowed to declare victory beforehand.
"Those who will seek to announce results of the leadership vote or any unofficial win announcement against the rules of the nation would have crossed the red line and need to be prepared to encounter penalties appropriate for their crime."
