Business has returned to normal in the Place de la Nation and just a few dozen protestors gathered in the Parcelles Assainies neighborhood to pressure President Macky Sall, a contrast from the tensions of recent days.
"We hope that Macky Sall will respect this decision because there is no other way to calm the country," says 40-year-old lawyer Babou Cisse. "The Constitutional violation was flagrant."
Sall's move to postpone the February 25 poll until December triggered the worst crisis in post-independence Senegal for decades.
But in response to the constitutional council's late Thursday ruling that he couldn't postpone the vote, Sall vowed to organize elections "as soon as possible."
The Council's decision "is like a boiling pot we're lifting the lid off," says geographer Alioune Coulibaly, 37, donning a bracelet in the colors of the disbanded opposition group, Pastef.
"We hope the president will set a date soon, because he cannot fight against his own people."
Young people play football in the sunshine by the obelisk in the square off Place de la Nation. Men in traditional boubou dress head home after Friday prayers. Students study on benches. Shops are open. It's a major change from past days when the country was the scene of violent protests against Sall.
Despite the renewed calm, there is a strong security presence.
"We're here, there have been rumors of demonstrations: if there are any, we're ready to disperse them," a policeman told AFP.
Police officers walk after dispersing protestors during a march calling on authorities to respect the election date, in Dakar, on February 16, 2024.
Showcase for democracy
The police are just as visible in Parcelles Assainies, where they fire tear gas to disperse the few dozen demonstrators called by an opposition collective.
The group quickly scatter into Dakar's backstreets while shops close their doors.
"It's the first day of Lent (for Christians) and we can't even celebrate in peace," says a woman in a blue and red boubou.
Among the demonstrators, student Lamine Fofana, 29, protests as planned "to support the Council's decision that the president must not remain in office beyond April 2."
Sall's term in office officially expires on April 2 and the head of state has repeatedly said he will not stand for a third term.
Three people have been killed during demonstrations against the vote delay in the West African nation, previously seen as a bastion of stability and democracy in a region marred by coups and jihadist violence.
"Senegal is a showcase for democracy in Africa, but our democracy was in danger of collapsing," says 33-year-old cleaner Pape Alioune Kane.
"The Constitutional Council has put us back on the right track and saved us from trouble", he says, urging "the opposition to contribute to peace."