<![CDATA[Abstract: This study aims to analyze the position of regional heads as the extension of popular sovereignty and to understand regional head elections (Pemilukada) as a form of delegation of people’s sovereignty at the local level. In the context of a democratic rule-of-law state, popular sovereignty serves as the basis of legitimacy for all forms of governmental power, both national and regional. Regional elections are the main mechanism through which citizens exercise their political rights to choose leaders who represent constitutional mandates and public aspirations. This research employs a normative legal research method, using statutory, conceptual, and case approaches. Data are derived from primary, secondary, and tertiary legal materials, analyzed descriptively and qualitatively. The results show that regional heads represent the people’s sovereignty through a democratically granted mandate. However, the implementation of people’s sovereignty in regional elections still faces challenges such as money politics, identity politics, and low political awareness. Therefore, strengthening regulations, political education, and oversight mechanisms is essential to ensure that regional elections truly serve as a democratic instrument reflecting the realization of popular sovereignty at the local level.Keywords: Popular Sovereignty, Regional Election, Local Government.]]>
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