KIEV, Jan. 14 - First Deputy Prime Minister Andriy Kliuyev Tuesday was appointed the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, the top security body under the President, in the most serious government reshuffle yet.

Raisa Bohatyriova, who led the NSDC for the past five years, was appointed as deputy prime minister and the healthcare minister, the presidential press service reported.

The reshuffle suggests a tectonic shift in the government with Kliuyev, one of the most powerful figures in the government, de-facto leaving a race to replace Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

Kliuyev, who was often associated with running - and financing - election campaigns for President Viktor Yanukovych’s Regions Party, is now expected to focus on upcoming October 2012 parliamentary elections.

Yanukovych is facing a challenge of cementing his power after the election when his Regions Party has been steadily losing public support with economic reforms lagging behind schedule.

Should the Regions Party lose - and opposition groups win - the elections, it would create the most serious challenge for Yanukovych for his last two years in power.

On the other hand, the party’s successful performance would most likely catapult Kliuyev to a senior position at the presidential administration, opening an opportunity for him to manage Yanukovych’s re-election bid in March 2015.

The NSDC under Bohatyriova’s leadership over the past five years was largely turned into a ceremonial organ without any major political authority.

But the latest appointment suggests that Kliuyev may seek to elevate the organ’s significance, and will use his supervising control over law enforcement agencies.

“I believe the appointment is strengthening the role of the NSDC,â? Valeriy Bondyk, a member of the Regions Party, said.

Yanukovych said the latest reshuffle was needed to strengthen the country’s security at a time of new, unspecified challenges.

“The security sector must be re-built in new conditions, responding to those challenges that our country is facing,” Yanukovych said while introducing Kliuyev to NSDC staff on Tuesday. “I hope that the leaders of the law enforcement, special services will be reliable links in this work.”

The Kliuyev appointment comes a week after Yanukovych has replaced Mykhaylo Yezhel with Dmytro Salamatin as Ukraine’s defense minister, strengthening his personal control over military forces.

Earlier this month Yanukovych appointed Ihor Kalinin, a loyalist and a former Russian KGB spy, as the head of the SBU security service.

On January 18 Yanukovych accepted the resignation of Finance Minister Fedir Yaroshenko, appointed Valeriy Khoroshkovskiy, a former SBU chief, to the post. (tl/ez)