🔗 Share this article Will this world's oldest president retain the title and woo a country of young electorate? The planet's most aged leader - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has pledged Cameroon's electorate "the best is still to come" as he pursues his eighth consecutive term in office on Sunday. The elderly leader has remained in office for over four decades - another 7-year term could see him rule for 50 years making him almost a century old. Campaign Issues He resisted numerous appeals to resign and has been criticised for making merely one rally, spending most of the political race on a 10-day unofficial journey to the European continent. Negative reaction regarding his reliance on an computer-generated campaign video, as his opponents sought voters directly, saw him rush north after coming back. Young Voters and Unemployment Consequently for the large portion of the population, Biya is the only president they remember - over sixty percent of the nation's thirty million inhabitants are below the quarter century mark. Youthful political activist Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "new blood" as she believes "extended rule naturally results in a type of inertia". "After 43 years, the population are exhausted," she declares. Employment challenges for youth has been a specific discussion topic for nearly all the contenders running in the election. Almost forty percent of young residents aged from 15 and 35 are unemployed, with 23% of recent graduates facing challenges in securing formal employment. Opposition Candidates Beyond youth unemployment, the election system has also stirred dispute, particularly regarding the disqualification of an opposition leader from the presidential race. The disqualification, approved by the highest court, was broadly condemned as a ploy to prevent any significant opposition to the incumbent. 12 aspirants were authorized to compete for the leadership position, featuring an ex-government official and another former ally - both previous Biya allies from the northern region of the nation. Voting Challenges In Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and Southwest territories, where a long-running insurgency persists, an election boycott restriction has been enforced, stopping economic functions, travel and learning. Insurgents who have established it have promised to harm individuals who participates. Beginning in 2017, those attempting to establish a independent territory have been clashing with state security. The fighting has to date caused the deaths of at no fewer than 6,000 lives and forced approximately half a million residents from their houses. Vote Outcome Following the election, the Constitutional Council has two weeks to declare the outcome. The government official has earlier advised that none of the contenders is permitted to claim success prior to official results. "Individuals who will try to declare outcomes of the political race or any unofficial win announcement in violation of the regulations of the country would have violated boundaries and need to be prepared to encounter penalties matching their offense."