How does popular sovereignty connect government legitimacy to the consent of the people?

Popular sovereignty is a political doctrine asserting that the legitimacy of a government is derived from and subject to the will of the people. This concept connects government authority to the consent of the governed through the framework of a social contract.12345

Under this theory, individuals in a society agree to entrust specific powers to a government to ensure common protection and order. Because the people are the ultimate source of sovereign power, a government is considered legitimate only as long as it acts in accordance with their consent and upholds its trust. If a government violates this contract or abuses its power, the doctrine holds that the people retain the right to alter or abolish that government and establish a new one.456

By framing the people as the creators and final judges of their governing institutions, popular sovereignty ensures that political authority is not inherent to rulers but is instead a delegated power that must remain accountable to the citizenry.26