The popular sovereignty is the possibility of Décision Peuple in last spring. Rousseau ( social Contract ) developed the questions of popular sovereignty, through a succeeded design of the natural Right , which include the right of resistance to oppression. Each Citoyen holds a share of sovereignty.

In the classical theory, popular sovereignty results in a mode of Direct democracy. That is confirmed by the theory of the State-power at the end of the 19th century, developed by Maurice Hauriou, which sees the exercise of the Direct democracy in the election of the President of the Republic to the Vote for all.

Popular sovereignty rests on the Peuple, i.e. the whole of the current citizens of a country (it is thus a real unit). It can be expressed directly. If its size obliges it has to resort to agents, it will give them only one mandatory instruction: he will say what to them to vote.

No need for a separation of the capacities since the People can, directly, to control its agents.

On the other hand, which will vote these agents, representing the will of the People obligatorily, will be untouchable and inviolable. : E Populate not being able to take Loi S contrary with its interests, the Law is inevitably right: it is the principle of Primauté of the Law and Primauté of the Parliament made up of the agents of the People.

This type of sovereignty implies the Vote for all, since no one cannot be dispossessed on behalf of sovereignty which is conferred on each citizen.

Popular sovereignty is opposed conceptually to the National sovereignty.

She was condemned by Pie IX in her encyclical Quanta Cleaned.