Athens' Olympic plans have been hit by the resignation of a top official. Costas Kartalis, the general secretary of the organising committee (ATHOC), quit in the wake of the country's change of government on Sunday.
Kartalis, a member of the socialist party that lost power, resigned despite pleas from new Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to remain in his post.
Kartalis was in charge of day-to-day operations for the Games, which will run from 13-29 August.
He took over as general secretary in 1999 when the then ruling socialists were struggling to kick-start their Olympic preparations after political infighting.
Karamanlis, who swept to power on Sunday ending 11 years of socialist rule, made retaining top Olympic officials one of his first promises on his election.
In a sign that he is now personally in charge of the troubled Games, Karamanlis has taken over the Culture Ministry, which supervises Olympic preparations.
Of 39 Olympic venues, currently only 24 have been fully completed while many transport infrastructure projects are also behind schedule.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge will meet Karamanlis in Athens on Saturday to discuss the new government's plans to speed up preparations.
MMIX
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