After all, Ralph has the conch, which symbolizes legitimate power, and has been democratically elected.

legitimate 来自拉丁语 legitimus（合法的），由词根 lex（法律）演变而来。这个词表示"合法的、正当的"，指符合法律规定或社会公认准则的权力或地位。在句中形容海螺所象征的权力是经过正当程序获得的。