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Difficulty: MediumFranchise and Suffrage

In constitutional governance, universal adult suffrage grants adult citizens the legal right to participate in elections. Which of the following best explains why the electorate is regarded as the political sovereign in a democratic state?

  1. They hold the power to elect representatives and periodically determine or replace the governmentAnswer
  2. B
    They possess the legal authority to enact and repeal constitutional laws directly through parliamentary debates
  3. C
    They receive absolute legal immunity from judicial prosecution upon successful voter registration
  4. D
    They must secure an absolute majority of over 50 percent of registered votes before exercising their franchise

Answer

The electorate holds political sovereignty because they possess the ultimate democratic power to elect public officials, mandate governance, and replace governments through periodic elections.
The correct option explains that the electorate constitutes the political sovereign because citizens hold the ultimate authority to choose public officials and alter government leadership through periodic elections established by universal adult suffrage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core political concept tested in the stem
The question asks for the defining feature of political sovereignty held by the electorate through franchise.
Franchise and suffrage empower citizens to express popular sovereignty during democratic elections.
2
Distinguish between legal sovereignty and political sovereignty
Legal sovereignty resides in the law-making body (the legislature), whereas political sovereignty resides in the body of voters (the electorate) whose political will ultimately prevails.
Political sovereign authority stems from the electorate's ability to create, sustain, or remove governments through voting.
3
Evaluate the options against democratic theory principles
The correct choice accurately reflects that voters express political sovereignty by electing representatives and determining who governs.
This directly aligns with standard democratic theory and JAMB UTME Government curriculum definitions.

Key Concept

Political Sovereignty and Universal Franchise
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Topics

Franchise and Suffrage

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