🔗 Share this article Can this world's oldest leader keep his title and attract a nation of young electorate? This world's oldest head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has promised the nation's voters "the best is still to come" as he aims for his 8th straight presidential term on Sunday. The 92-year-old has remained in office since 1982 - an additional 7-year term could keep him in power for half a century making him almost a century old. Election Controversies He resisted widespread calls to step down and faced criticism for attending just one rally, spending most of the campaign period on a ten-day personal visit to the European continent. A backlash regarding his dependence on an computer-generated political commercial, as his rivals sought voters directly, prompted his quick return north after coming back. Youth Population and Unemployment Consequently for the vast majority of the citizenry, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they experienced - above 60% of Cameroon's 30 million residents are below the age of 25. Young advocate Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "different faces" as she believes "prolonged leadership naturally results in a kind of laziness". "After 43 years, the population are exhausted," she says. Youth unemployment has become a notable discussion topic for most of the contenders participating in the political race. Approximately forty percent of youthful citizens between 15-35 are jobless, with 23% of college-educated youth facing challenges in obtaining official jobs. Rival Contenders In addition to young people's job issues, the voting procedure has also stirred controversy, especially with the disqualification of an opposition leader from the presidential race. His exclusion, approved by the legal authority, was widely criticised as a strategy to prevent any strong challenge to President Biya. A dozen contenders were cleared to compete for the country's top job, featuring a former minister and a previous supporter - each ex- Biya colleagues from the northern region of the country. Election Difficulties In Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and Southwest regions, where a long-running insurgency ongoing, an voting prohibition lockdown has been imposed, halting economic functions, movement and learning. The separatists who have imposed it have promised to harm people who does vote. Beginning in 2017, those working toward a separate nation have been clashing with official military. The violence has so far caused the deaths of at no fewer than 6k individuals and caused almost five hundred thousand others from their homes. Vote Outcome After Sunday's vote, the Constitutional Council has two weeks to declare the results. The security chief has previously cautioned that no candidate is authorized to announce winning beforehand. "Individuals who will try to declare outcomes of the political race or any self-proclaimed victory contrary to the laws of the country would have broken rules and should be ready to face consequences appropriate for their offense."