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This planet's most aged leader - 92-year-old Paul Biya - has pledged the nation's voters "the future holds promise" as he aims for his eighth consecutive presidential term this weekend.

The 92-year-old has stayed in power for over four decades - another seven-year mandate could keep him in power for 50 years until he will be almost a century old.

Election Controversies

He resisted widespread calls to step down and drew backlash for only showing up for one rally, spending most of the political race on a 10-day private trip to the European continent.

A backlash regarding his reliance on an artificial intelligence created campaign video, as his opponents courted constituents in person, prompted his quick return to the northern region upon his arrival.

Youth Voters and Joblessness

This indicates for the vast majority of the people, Biya is the only president they remember - above sixty percent of Cameroon's thirty million people are below the quarter century mark.

Young campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi urgently wants "different faces" as she believes "longevity in power inevitably leads to a type of complacency".

"After 43 years, the citizens are exhausted," she says.

Young people's joblessness remains a particular talking point for most of the contenders participating in the vote.

Nearly forty percent of young citizens between 15 to 35 years are without work, with twenty-three percent of college-educated youth encountering difficulties in finding regular work.

Opposition Contenders

In addition to youth unemployment, the election system has generated dispute, particularly regarding the disqualification of a political rival from the presidential race.

His exclusion, upheld by the highest court, was broadly condemned as a strategy to prevent any strong challenge to President Biya.

12 contenders were authorized to vie for the leadership position, featuring a former minister and a previous supporter - each ex- Biya allies from the northern region of the nation.

Election Difficulties

Within the nation's Anglophone Northwest and Southwest territories, where a long-running insurgency ongoing, an voting prohibition closure has been enforced, halting commercial operations, movement and education.

Rebel groups who have established it have warned to harm individuals who casts a ballot.

Beginning in 2017, those working toward a separate nation have been fighting official military.

The fighting has until now resulted in at least six thousand lives and forced nearly five hundred thousand others from their residences.

Election Results

Once polling concludes, the legal body has fifteen days to reveal the outcome.

The security chief has already warned that no candidate is allowed to declare victory in advance.

"Individuals who will seek to declare outcomes of the leadership vote or any unofficial win announcement contrary to the regulations of the country would have crossed the red line and must prepare to receive consequences commensurate to their violation."