Primakov had nominated Valentina Matviyenko, Russia's ambassador to Greece, as the deputy prime minister in charge of social policy, which is rated as one of the toughest jobs with millions of Russians not being paid their salaries for months.

Primakov, appointed prime minister on September 11, was to announce his cabinet team by last Friday. However, so far he has picked only five out of his six vice-premiers, including two first deputy prime ministers, Yuri Maslyukov and Gennady Kulik, both from the Left benches.

Almost all the ministerial portfolios, except the foreign portfolio and the so-called ``power bloc'' (defence, interior and security) allocated by the president, remain unallotted 11 days after Primakov's appointment.

Criticising delay in the formation ofthe cabinet when the country is in the grip of acute economic crisis, leading Moscow daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta today wrote that Primakov was busy forming a ``compromise'' cabinet instead of picking an anti-crisis team.

The daily voiced concern at the possibility of the cabinet becoming a ``discussion club''. Last week, Yeltsin had said the formation of the cabinet would take another week as the candidates have to go several rounds of scrutiny.

Under the presidential decree released by Itar Tass, the number of deputy prime ministers has been limited to six, including two first vice-premiers.

The ethnic and regional affairs ministry has been split into two separate ministries with independent charges of regional and nationalities ethnic affairs.

In the new cabinet structure, the ministry for relations with the CIS countries has been recreated after it was abolished by former premier Sergei Kiriyenko in May.

One of the salient features of the new cabinet will be the inclusion of eight governorsin the policy planning cabinet presidium representing macro-regional economic association.