I would much rather see problematic promotions/elections dealt with in a way that does not involve the potentially promoted individual or candidate having to abandon their current positions before even being eligible. Having to abandon a position prior to appointment just feels wrong. Making players sift through the hierarchy and hierarchical rules because they can not seem to run for a position or make an appointment makes the game less accessible in my opinion.
Honestly, I am not fully informed on the restrictions in place or how the game handles them – especially regarding elections. From what I have experienced and heard, however, I think things could potentially be done in a more user friendly way. I may very well be misinformed here and would love to hear that these concerns are not valid.
Example:
For Appointments:
Just have list of characters eligible for the position with no concern to hierarchy,. Once the King or Duke makes an appointment, send a message informing the character of their new appointment with the option to accept or reject. If the King or Duke tries to assign someone to a position that causes a hierarchical conflict, have the game detail what existing positions they will lose by accepting the appointment.
For Elections:
Allow any eligible character chose to become a candidate for a particular position. If winning the election would cause a hierarchical conflict, have the game detail what existing positions they will lose if they win the election. If they chose to run anyways and win, they lose the existing conflicting positions and gain the newly won positions.