At the risk of sounding a pompous, arrogant, elitist...let me tell you something -- "People's will" is a MYTH.
Collectively, people don't have a will, they have common grievances. It is not because people are essentially stupid -- (which they are for the most part), it is because people are first and foremost motivated by immediate self interests. When there is self interest, there is NO will. It's logic.
Any leader understands this basic equation and capitalizes on it, playing it to the maximum.
Hence, any derivative of the "will of the people" is mere chimera. Democracy is one of them.