President Abdurrahman Wahid, fighting for his political life, named the deputy governor of the central bank, Mr Burhanuddin Abdullah, as the new chief economics minister yesterday.

In a reshuffle aimed at placating his estranged deputy and political parties out to dump him, Mr Wahid appointed the outgoing chief economics minister, Mr Rizal Ramli, as his new finance minister. Mr Ramli replaces Mr Prijadi Praptosuhardjo.

However, the party of Vice-President Megawati Sukarnoputri said yesterday that the Cabinet reshuffle would not prevent an impeachment hearing against Mr Wahid.

Mr Wahid said in a nationally televised statement: "The reason of the changes is to increase the efficiency [and] in order to possibly meet [economic] targets."

Mr Ramli said the new team would focus on speeding up the sale of assets held by the country's bank restructuring agency and boosting economic restructuring. He also played down concerns that his new position would hurt ties with the International Monetary Fund, with which he has clashed over the country's reform efforts.

However, economists said the moves would be a waste of time. "A team that will be in place for two months – what difference does it make?" one Western economist said.

However, members of Ms Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) made it clear the reshuffle would not work. "PDI-P has a clear stance," the deputy party chairman, Mr Roy Janis, said. "If the reshuffle is aimed at halting the special [impeachment] session, then that's impossible ... The special session must still go on."