MOSCOW, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a new cabinet lineup late Monday, which is seen as a move to keep stability and continuity ahead next year's power shift due to his step-down.

    The reshuffle, which saw three new appointments out of the 23 ministerial posts, came 12 days after Putin nominated little-known finance official Viktor Zubkov as prime minister. Most of the heavyweights in the cabinet kept their portfolios.

    "It is my great hope that the Russian government under the leadership of a new prime minister will strive to solve what we consider to be the strategic tasks of the country's development," said Putin, who left the cabinet largely unchanged.

    "In this crucial time, it's necessary not only to ensure stable work but also energetically promote the implementation of our strategic plans," he added after reading out the new cabinet posts.

    Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who is seen as a guarantor of economic stability, was given more responsibility as deputy prime minister.

    The promotion of Kudrin to deputy prime minister, the main change, showed that keeping the economy stable was at the top of the president's agenda, according to local media.

    "Kudrin's appointment was a good sign for the market, indicating that the government is still focused on macroeconomic stability," said the influential business daily Vedomosti.

    Economics Minister German Gref was replaced by his former deputy minister, Elvira Nabiullina. Markets had been reportedly anticipating Gref's departure for months.

    Health and Social Affairs Minister Mikhail Zurabov, who ran a botched reform of social benefits, was replaced by Finance Ministry official Tatiyana Golikova.

    Golikova is the spouse of Energy Minister Victor Christenko, who kept his post in the reshuffled cabinet.

    Regional Development Minister Vladimir Yakovlev, who failed to make his mark on the regional development portfolio, was replaced by Dmitry Kozak, Putin's chief envoy to the southern federal district.

    Putin kept Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in his job, turning down his offer to resign. Serdyukov is Zubkov's son-in-law.

    The new government was welcomed by the majority of Russia's political parties.

    Boris Gryzlov, speaker of the State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, said that the decision on the cabinet appointments was a kind of judgement for their job performance.

    The parliamentary majority's opinion on the cabinet reshuffle is in total consistency with the president's judgement, Gryzlov added.