Will the planet's most aged leader keep his title and attract a country of youthful voters?
This world's oldest leader - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has promised the nation's electorate "better days are ahead" as he seeks his eighth consecutive presidential term on Sunday.
The 92-year-old has already been in office since 1982 - another 7-year mandate could keep him in power for half a century until he will be almost a century old.
Election Issues
He resisted broad demands to resign and has been criticised for attending just a single campaign event, spending most of the political race on a week-and-a-half personal visit to Europe.
A backlash over his dependence on an computer-generated campaign video, as his opponents actively wooed voters on the ground, saw him rush to the northern region upon his arrival.
Youth Voters and Joblessness
It means that for the vast majority of the population, Biya has been the exclusive ruler they remember - above sixty percent of the nation's thirty million inhabitants are below the quarter century mark.
Young campaigner Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "different faces" as she thinks "extended rule naturally results in a sort of complacency".
"With 43 years passed, the people are tired," she says.
Employment challenges for youth remains a specific talking point for nearly all the candidates running in the vote.
Almost 40% of young residents aged from 15-35 are unemployed, with 23% of college-educated youth facing challenges in obtaining formal employment.
Opposition Candidates
In addition to young people's job issues, the election system has generated controversy, notably concerning the removal of a political rival from the election contest.
The disqualification, upheld by the Constitutional Council, was widely criticised as a ploy to prevent any significant opposition to the incumbent.
12 candidates were approved to compete for the presidency, comprising Issa Tchiroma Bakary and a previous supporter - each former Biya associates from the north of the country.
Voting Challenges
Within the nation's Anglophone Northwest and South-West areas, where a extended rebellion persists, an poll avoidance lockdown has been imposed, paralysing business activities, movement and learning.
Insurgents who have enforced it have warned to attack anyone who participates.
Since 2017, those attempting to establish a breakaway state have been fighting official military.
The conflict has to date caused the deaths of at no fewer than 6k people and caused nearly half a million residents from their houses.
Vote Outcome
Once polling concludes, the Constitutional Council has 15 days to announce the results.
The government official has previously cautioned that no candidate is allowed to announce winning prior to official results.
"Those who will try to reveal findings of the leadership vote or any unofficial win announcement in violation of the regulations of the nation would have broken rules and need to be prepared to receive consequences appropriate for their violation."
