🔗 Share this article Can the planet's most aged leader retain his position and attract a country of youthful electorate? This planet's most aged head of state - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has assured Cameroon's voters "the best is still to come" as he seeks his eighth consecutive term in office on Sunday. The 92-year-old has stayed in power since 1982 - an additional seven-year mandate could see him rule for half a century reaching almost a century old. Campaign Issues He resisted broad demands to leave office and drew backlash for only showing up for one public appearance, using the majority of the political race on a 10-day unofficial journey to Europe. Criticism regarding his reliance on an computer-generated campaign video, as his opponents actively wooed supporters in person, led to his hurried travel to the northern region after coming back. Young Population and Unemployment This indicates for the vast majority of the people, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they remember - over 60% of Cameroon's 30 million residents are under the age of 25. Young campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "new blood" as she believes "prolonged leadership naturally results in a type of inertia". "With 43 years passed, the people are exhausted," she declares. Youth unemployment has become a particular discussion topic for the majority of the contenders participating in the election. Approximately forty percent of young citizens aged from 15 to 35 years are without work, with 23% of recent graduates experiencing problems in finding regular work. Opposition Contenders Beyond youth unemployment, the election system has created controversy, particularly regarding the exclusion of Maurice Kamto from the presidential race. The disqualification, confirmed by the legal authority, was broadly condemned as a strategy to block any serious competition to the incumbent. 12 contenders were approved to contest for the country's top job, comprising Issa Tchiroma Bakary and another former ally - the two ex- Biya allies from the northern region of the nation. Voting Difficulties In Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and South-West areas, where a extended insurgency persists, an election boycott lockdown has been established, paralysing economic functions, transport and education. The separatists who have enforced it have warned to target individuals who casts a ballot. Starting four years ago, those seeking to create a independent territory have been battling official military. The fighting has until now killed at minimum six thousand individuals and forced approximately five hundred thousand people from their residences. Election Results After Sunday's vote, the Constitutional Council has two weeks to announce the outcome. The security chief has earlier advised that no aspirant is permitted to announce winning in advance. "Candidates who will attempt to reveal findings of the presidential election or any personal declaration of success in violation of the rules of the republic would have broken rules and must prepare to receive retaliatory measures commensurate to their crime."