š Share this article Can this world's most aged leader retain his title and attract a nation of youthful voters? This world's most aged head of state - nonagenarian Paul Biya - has pledged the nation's electorate "the best is still to come" as he aims for his 8th consecutive term in office on Sunday. The elderly leader has remained in office since 1982 - another seven-year mandate could see him rule for half a century reaching almost 100. Election Issues He resisted numerous appeals to step down and has been criticised for making merely one public appearance, devoting much of the campaign period on a week-and-a-half personal visit to Europe. Criticism concerning his reliance on an artificial intelligence created election advertisement, as his challengers actively wooed voters in person, prompted his quick return to the northern region upon his arrival. Young Voters and Joblessness It means that for the large portion of the citizenry, Biya is the only president they have known - above sixty percent of the nation's thirty million people are below the age of 25. Youthful advocate Marie Flore Mboussi strongly desires "different faces" as she believes "prolonged leadership typically causes a sort of complacency". "After 43 years, the citizens are exhausted," she says. Young people's joblessness remains a notable talking point for nearly all the candidates running in the political race. Almost 40% of young citizens between 15 and 35 are jobless, with twenty-three percent of recent graduates encountering difficulties in finding official jobs. Rival Candidates Beyond youth unemployment, the election system has created debate, notably concerning the exclusion of a political rival from the presidential race. The removal, approved by the legal authority, was generally denounced as a ploy to stop any strong challenge to the incumbent. 12 aspirants were approved to vie for the leadership position, including a former minister and a previous supporter - the two ex- Biya allies from the north of the nation. Voting Challenges Within the nation's Anglophone Northwest and South-West areas, where a extended insurgency ongoing, an election boycott restriction has been established, paralysing economic functions, travel and schooling. Insurgents who have established it have promised to target people who casts a ballot. Beginning in 2017, those attempting to establish a independent territory have been clashing with government forces. The fighting has until now resulted in at minimum 6k lives and caused nearly half a million residents from their houses. Election Results Once polling concludes, the Constitutional Council has fifteen days to announce the findings. The government official has previously cautioned that no candidate is permitted to claim success prior to official results. "Individuals who will seek to reveal findings of the presidential election or any personal declaration of success contrary to the laws of the country would have violated boundaries and must prepare to receive penalties commensurate to their crime."