United Nations of Earth (UNE) Governor Roberto Bianconelli suddenly stopped speaking during a press conference this Friday afternoon, having become the latest high-ranking human official to enter into a vegetative state.

Bianconelli had been making his opening remarks to the UNE Congress on Earth, confirming that a new admiral had been appointed to the 5th Fleet, expanding the space-nation’s leader pool to 27.

Immediately after confirming the appointment, Bianconelli went silent. He remained unresponsive as he was escorted off-stage to polite applause.

Reports from across the UNE have confirmed all currently active human governors, scientists, admirals and generals have similarly been affected, with medical officials scrambling to explain the cause of this apparent mass catatonia.

Humanity’s Chief Researcher, Dr Cooper Johnson, was delivering a keynote speech aboard the Science Nexus while events were unfolding on Earth.

“One minute he was on stage talking about a breakthrough in Armor XVI research,” one anonymous conference attendee told Xenonion, “next he’s mumbling something about ‘leader capacity’ being exceeded while losing control of his bladder.”

An executive order, drafted by UNE President Dolores Muwanga’s staff, has called for the dismissal of the new admiral in the hope of restoring basic cognition to at least some of humanity’s leaders.

At the time of press Muwanga has reportedly not yet signed the paperwork, articulating to aides in broken English “reading…. hard” while gently drooling over the paperwork.