I'll budge into here again, I think:
Is this an election sim with a small number of participants?
No.
Yes, but with two differences. The first is that roleplaying is not necessary and may even be discouraged (and this is a huge one). The second is that the game isn't railroaded by a mod team.
The goal of the game, if there is one, is
to promote your agenda and maneuver to power. The elections are merely a mechanism for a player to be stripped of his power if former allies disagree. I, as the GM, exists to give information so people know what their agenda entails in practice.
I don't think everyone came to a consensus on deciding we're not a universal parliament, but that was the idea among people I talked to. I don't think the game would be more challenging that way, simply because there will be zombie players. The Parliament itself should be a cluster of active schemers, if that makes sense.
Given this game is a reaction to Atlasia, a conscious decision was made to strip formal offices to as few as possible. Let the most committed players lead the narrative and other people step in and blabber about it.
I did just make up that goal definition right now, so feedback is appreciated.
