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This world's oldest head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has assured the nation's voters "the best is still to come" as he aims for his 8th straight term in office on Sunday.

The elderly leader has stayed in office for over four decades - an additional seven-year mandate could see him rule for 50 years making him almost 100.

Election Issues

He ignored widespread calls to leave office and faced criticism for attending just one rally, devoting much of the election season on a ten-day private trip to Europe.

Negative reaction over his dependence on an computer-generated campaign video, as his opponents actively wooed constituents in person, prompted his quick return to the northern region after coming back.

Youth Voters and Unemployment

This indicates for the vast majority of the population, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they remember - above 60% of Cameroon's thirty million residents are younger than the quarter century mark.

Young advocate Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "different faces" as she believes "longevity in power typically causes a sort of laziness".

"With 43 years passed, the people are tired," she declares.

Young people's joblessness has been a specific issue of concern for most of the aspirants participating in the election.

Almost forty percent of youthful residents aged from 15 and 35 are without work, with twenty-three percent of young graduates encountering difficulties in securing regular work.

Opposition Candidates

In addition to young people's job issues, the electoral process has created dispute, especially with the removal of Maurice Kamto from the election contest.

The removal, confirmed by the legal authority, was widely criticised as a tactic to block any strong challenge to the incumbent.

A dozen aspirants were cleared to compete for the presidency, featuring a former minister and Bello Bouba Maigari - each ex- Biya colleagues from the north of the country.

Election Challenges

In Cameroon's English-speaking North-West and South-West areas, where a protracted separatist conflict continues, an voting prohibition lockdown has been enforced, paralysing economic functions, transport and learning.

Insurgents who have enforced it have warned to harm individuals who casts a ballot.

Starting four years ago, those seeking to create a breakaway state have been clashing with government forces.

The conflict has so far caused the deaths of at no fewer than six thousand people and compelled approximately 500,000 residents from their houses.

Election Results

Following the election, the Constitutional Council has two weeks to reveal the outcome.

The security chief has earlier advised that none of the contenders is permitted to claim success in advance.

"Individuals who will seek to declare outcomes of the presidential election or any unofficial win announcement in violation of the laws of the country would have broken rules and should be ready to receive consequences matching their offense."