🔗 Share this article Can this planet's oldest president retain his position and attract a nation of youthful electorate? This planet's oldest leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has pledged Cameroon's voters "better days are ahead" as he pursues his 8th straight term in office this weekend. The elderly leader has remained in office since 1982 - an additional 7-year term could keep him in power for 50 years reaching almost a century old. Election Issues He ignored broad demands to resign and faced criticism for attending just one public appearance, using the majority of the campaign period on a 10-day unofficial journey to the European continent. Negative reaction over his reliance on an artificial intelligence created election advertisement, as his rivals courted supporters on the ground, saw him rush north on his return home. Youth Voters and Unemployment Consequently for the great bulk of the population, Biya remains the sole leader they have known - more than 60% of Cameroon's 30 million residents are below the quarter century mark. Youthful political activist Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "fresh leadership" as she believes "extended rule naturally results in a kind of laziness". "Following four decades, the population are exhausted," she states. Youth unemployment remains a specific talking point for the majority of the aspirants competing in the vote. Approximately forty percent of young residents aged from 15 to 35 years are unemployed, with 23% of college-educated youth experiencing problems in securing official jobs. Rival Candidates Beyond young people's job issues, the voting procedure has created dispute, notably concerning the exclusion of an opposition leader from the presidential race. The disqualification, upheld by the highest court, was broadly condemned as a strategy to stop any serious competition to the current leader. A dozen aspirants were authorized to contest for the leadership position, comprising Issa Tchiroma Bakary and Bello Bouba Maigari - both ex- Biya allies from the northern region of the country. Voting Challenges In Cameroon's Anglophone North-West and Southwest areas, where a extended rebellion ongoing, an voting prohibition closure has been imposed, halting business activities, transport and education. The separatists who have enforced it have threatened to attack anyone who does vote. Since 2017, those seeking to create a separate nation have been fighting state security. The conflict has until now caused the deaths of at minimum six thousand individuals and compelled nearly five hundred thousand others from their homes. Election Results Once polling concludes, the highest court has fifteen days to announce the outcome. The government official has previously cautioned that no candidate is permitted to announce winning prior to official results. "Those who will try to reveal findings of the presidential election or any personal declaration of success against the rules of the nation would have crossed the red line and must prepare to face retaliatory measures appropriate for their crime."