Cameroon's presidential race roared to life Saturday with 12 contenders vying to either extend or shatter Paul Biya's iron grip on power, as the 92-year-old incumbent guns for an eighth term in the October 12 vote—sparking opposition bids for unity amid fraud fears and a restless youth clamoring for change.

Former tourism minister Bello Bouba Maigari, once Biya's ally, kicked off his bid in Douala with a rally unveiling a coalition backed by withdrawn rivals Ateki Seta Carson and Akere Muna. "Monitor the vote... reject any fraud," he urged supporters, echoing broader calls for a single opposition banner—though frontrunners like ex-journalist Cabral Libii, 45 and third in 2018, draw crowds with promises of fresh blood.

"Since I was born, only one president," a Libii backer lamented, voicing a generational thirst for renewal. The field, narrowed from 12 after some pullouts, faces an uphill slog against Biya's ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Union machine, with 8 million voters registered amid separatist shadows in Anglophone regions and economic gripes.

Amnesty International decried the jailing of 36 opposition figures, while Biya's daughter Brenda publicly snubbed a vote for dad, amplifying youth crossroads debates.

As rallies pulse in Douala and beyond, the contest tests Cameroon's democratic pulse—Biya's longevity a boon for stability to some, a ballot box blockade to others— with fraud watchdogs on high alert for a race that could redefine the Central African giant.