In a nation, sovereignty is vested in the state. Sovereignty is the supreme authority or power to govern a country, and the state is the entity that exercises this power. The state is responsible for making and enforcing laws, maintaining order, and protecting the rights and welfare of its citizens. While the state is made up of individuals, including elites and members of the electorate, it is the entity itself that holds sovereignty, rather than any particular group within it. The state derives its legitimacy from the consent of the governed, meaning that it is established and sustained by the people it governs.