Putin names Cabinet, cements power base
Observers believe he will overshadow Medvedev
He also left several prominent ministers untouched, including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin.
Putin announced the 24 positions, eight of them new, at a Cabinet meeting in the government headquarters, the ministers already seated according to their new appointments.
President Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's hand-picked successor who was inaugurated last week, quickly approved the appointments, which included the demotion of a former rival. Putin named the hawkish Sergei Ivanov, once seen as a top candidate to succeed him as president, as one of his deputy prime ministers, a step down from his previous position as first deputy premier.
Bolstering the economy was one of the priorities listed by Putin when he presented himself as prime minister-designate to the parliament last week.
His move from the Kremlin to the Cabinet residence up the Moscow River allows him to remain a hugely influential figure in the country's politics, and many observers have speculated he will overshadow Medvedev.
Putin was shown describing the structure of the new Cabinet in footage that dominated news broadcasts throughout the day. He looked and sounded presidential when he discussed the changes with Medvedev in televised remarks.
"It was enough to see how Putin talked to Medvedev to understand who is the boss," commentator Anton Orekh said on Ekho Moskvy radio. "Putin was the main hero Monday."
Medvedev received significantly less air time Monday.
In another sign of his authority, Putin angrily scolded reporters dictating details of the reshuffle to their offices: "If you continue chatting so loud, we won't invite you any more."
Putin increased the number of prime ministerial deputies to seven, compared to the five for his predecessor, Viktor Zubkov.
Zubkov was named a first deputy prime minister. He was put in charge of agriculture, forestry and the fishing industry, in addition to customs and tariffs.
The other first deputy premier is Igor Shuvalov, a top policy aide in Putin's Kremlin who gained prominence as an important figure when Russia hosted the Group of Eight summit in 2006. Shuvalov will oversee foreign economic policy and negotiate Russia's membership in the World Trade Organization.
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