It seems clear that many of us agree that the rules governing Absenteeism should be reformed in some manner. However, I do not believe that the process should include any automatic removals or any procedural changes that will complicate the process in any way.
The political aspect is indeed an essential part of the Demogame. It sets the game apart from any other Civ game (tournament, succession, MP, etc.) in a way that even the inventors of the game could not have foreseen. However, the actual in-game progress is equally essential to the enjoyment of the game. Just as steady progress within the game results in healthy discussions and debates in the forums, the lack of progress results in a dearth of discussion and debates.
Our rules should provide us with the flexibility to perform regardless of our situation (ie. how large a nation we are, how many positions we need to fill, how many active participants we have, etc...). As such, I believe that our Absenteeism rules are crucial to maintaining the steady progress we need to flourish.
I believe that the President should have greater flexibility in replacing presumably absent leaders (and deputies, etc...). However, given the indisputable fact that real life finds a way to interfere with our demogame existence in ways that we often cannot predict, I believe that there should be some allowances granted to the elected leaders as well.
I would suggest that if a leader is vacant from office (ie. the forums and demogame chats) for more than 3 days, the President has the authority to promote the deputy (or appoint a new leader if no deputy exists) in a temporary fashion. If the leader returns within 7 days from the initial dissapearance, then he or she can resume his or her responsibilities and the deputy and/or appointee reverts to the deputy position. Note: this could be done without a confirmation vote. If, however, the leader does not return within the 7 day period, then the newly promoted leader would be confirmed via a council vote and would retain that position for the remainder of the term, regardless of whether or not the original leader returns.
Of course, there is still the issue of what to do if the President goes awol.... In these instances, I would assume that the VP could assume the throne after 3 days, and would relinquish it if the Pres returns within 7 days. Similarly, if the President fails to return within those 7 days, then the council could confirm the promotion at that time, thereby making it official.
Such a system would provide the immediate response needed to reduce or eliminate any disruption of the game and make ample allowances for real life interferences.
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