Customs inspectors are vying for the position of the new president in Senegal.

In Dakar, Senegal, trust and power converge in the hands of tax inspectors as the country prepares for the anticipated presidential elections on Sunday.

The politicians attracting the most attention among the 17 presidential candidates in this election cycle

- The candidates Amadou Ba, Bassir Diomaye Faye, Mam Bou Diaw, and the former favorite for the presidency, Ousmane Sonko, are all current or former tax inspectors. For many, this is just a coincidence; their previous profession does not matter in their candidacy. But for others, their perceived wealth and financial ingenuity do matter. To participate in the presidential elections, financial resources are needed, explained Alioune Tine, a prominent Senegalese political analyst, emphasizing that these four figures are the most suitable for running in the presidential elections among public servants due to their wealth. "Financial power seeks political power," Tine said. "They are often wealthier than people from the private sector." For some voters, the professional experience of the candidates is important, as it inspires trust and competence.

37-year-old insurance broker and employee of the Ministry of Commerce, Usman Gisse

He plans to vote for Ba, the former prime minister, because he has proven himself by climbing the pension ladder. "Mr. Ba is not just a simple inspector like Faye, Sonko, or Diaw," Gisse said. "He is a former CEO who has risen to the very top." Ba previously served as the director of the General Directorate of Taxes and Property and held the position of Minister of Economy in two governments.

He is now a presidential candidate for the party of outgoing President Macky Sall - the Alliance for the Republic.

Diao, who belongs to the same party as Ba and the current Sall.

He was the director of the Deposit and Loan Fund in Senegal and recently served as the mayor of the city of Kolda in the southern part of the country since January 2022. In this election, he decided not to support Ba, the party's favorite, and instead run his own campaign on behalf of another party called the Coalition for a New Senegal.

Meanwhile, Sonko,

a counter-versatile but also respected opposition figure, was disqualified from running for office after allegations of sexual harassment and defamation. A former mayor of the southern city of Ziguinchor and a former tax inspector who investigated the government's gas and oil deals with foreign companies, he became known as the leader of the Pastef party. The coalition was dissolved in 2023 after Sonko was arrested and charged with inciting riots across the country. Sonko, along with Fai - also a tax inspector and an election favorite - currently lead an opposition party formed from a syndicate of tax and property agents they ran.All four men are committed to changing the country and fighting for the interests of the people. Whether they are part of the established order or defiant of it, current or former tax inspectors seem to have won the trust of the people, despite their past or not.Guillaume Soto-Mayor, a non-resident scholar at the International Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera that the reputation of tax inspectors can be helpful but also harmful. Sonko and Fai are seen as embodying a different view of the tax inspector, one who serves the law and its enforcement for all, regardless of their wealth, background or family ties. At the same time, Ba is seen as part of the old guard, reinforcing the same alliances and interests that have dominated Senegal for the past two administrations. "Faye and Sonko epitomize the alternate