Chapter 2:
Article 6:
The People
The Sahrawi people are an Arab, African and Muslim people.
Article 7:
The family is the foundation of the society; it shall be based on religious,
ethical and national values and on the historical heritage.
Article 8:
Sovereignty shall belong to the people who shall be the source of all power.
Article 9:
The constituent power shall belong to the people.
Article 10:
The people shall exercise their sovereignty through their elected
representatives and the constitutional institutions of the State that they may choose to that end.
Article 11:
The people shall choose their institutions with the aim of:
- Recovering full national sovereignty over the entire national territory, intact with all its
component parts;
- Attaining national independence;
- Defending national unity and the sovereignty of the people;
- Preserving the values of the people, defending their identity and their national personality;
- Ensuring respect for fundamental human freedoms as defined by the Constitution.
Article 12:
The people’s institutions shall belong to the people. They shall not be
exploited or utilised except for the constitutional objectives for which they have been created.
Chapter 3:
The State
Article 13:
The State shall derive its legitimacy from the will of the people and shall be at
the service of the people. Its motto shall be “Freedom, Democracy, Unity”.
Article 14:
The State shall exercise sovereignty over its territorial space, territorial waters
and air space.
Article 15:
It is prohibited to abandon or cede any part of the national territory.
Article 16:
The national territory shall be divided administratively into wilayat (Provinces)
and dawair (Districts) subdivided into baladiat (Councils).
The political and administrative powers of these divisions shall be defined by law.
Article 17:
Public property shall belong to the people. They comprise the mineral wealth,
energy resources, underground wealth, territorial waters and other resources defined by the
law.
Article 18:
The public property of the State, its various institutions as well as territorial,
regional and local communities shall be defined and administered in accordance with the law.
2