In a solar system shakeup, Jupiter has been promoted to Executive Planet. The International Solar Assembly Advisory Council has also endorsed Jupiter's choice of Saturn to be its Deputy Executive Planet.
In their new roles, Jupiter will oversee intersolar relations and treaties, and Saturn will oversee domestic and budgetary affairs.
The management change was foreseen by many observers as a natural outgrowth of the coup that removed Pluto from the Planetary Congress in Earth Year 2006. Prior to the ouster, Pluto frequently voted with the once formidable inner circle of rock planets, which has backed efforts to restore Pluto's planetary status.
Planetary Congress' inner circle was initially shaken by Pluto's abrupt departure, briefly deadlocked between the four gas giants and four remaining rock planets, but Venus' swing vote has since tended more gaseous, giving the giants a clear majority.
In the event of a 4-4 vote, the sun, which normally presides over the Planetary Congress in a nonvoting role, is allowed to cast a tie breaking vote. While technically plasma, the sun still leaned gaseous in 75% of prior cases.