Senegal has long been regarded as a unique case study of democratic stability in West Africa, a region that has recently seen several coups, including those in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. However, Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the presidential election date has triggered a shockwave not only in Senegal but also within the international community.

Senegal should hold presidential elections as soon as possible, the AU said, days after President Macky Sall delayed the February 25 vote to an unspecified date. Senegal has never delayed a presidential election, and Sall’s announcement on Saturday pitched the country into uncharted constitutional waters that some opposition and civil society groups said amounted to an “institutional coup.”

AU Commission chair Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a statement on Sunday that Senegal should “organize the elections as soon as possible, in transparency, peace, and national harmony.”.

France, the former colonial power in the country, called for a vote “as soon as possible,” saying that Senegal should end “uncertainty.”

The UK has also responded to delays in Senegal’s presidential elections. A statement from the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office says: “As a close friend to Senegal, the United Kingdom deeply respects Senegal’s strong tradition of democracy. We are concerned about the uncertainty created by postponing the presidential elections. We join with ECOWAS in urging the Senegalese authorities to swiftly set a new date for elections and in encouraging all participants to work together peacefully towards a transparent, inclusive, and credible election process.”

“The European Union… calls on all actors to work… for the staging of a transparent, inclusive and credible election as soon as possible,” EU spokesperson Nabila Massrali said in a statement on Sunday.

The US Department of State noted Senegal’s “strong tradition of democracy and peaceful transitions of power” and urged “all participants in [the] electoral process to engage peacefully to swiftly set a new date and the conditions for a timely, free, and fair election.”

Senegalese politicians must “prioritize dialogue and collaboration for transparent, inclusive, and credible elections,” the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc said in a statement that called on authorities to “expedite the various processes to set a new date for the elections.”