Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, facing an unprecedented protest movement during his 20 years in office, sacked his campaign manager in what appeared to be a response to mass protests on Friday to demand his bid for a fifth term in the April 18 election.
Former Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sallal, who ran Bouteflika's three successful campaigns (2004, 2009 and 2014), was replaced by current Transport Minister Abdelghani Zaalan, APS quoted Bouteflika's campaign director as saying.
He is currently the Minister of Transport and Public Works of the Algerian government, and Bouteflika appointed him in this position in May 2017. Mr Sallal was previously Prime Minister of Algeria between 2012 and 2017.
The official agency did not provide any further details, but the name of the baskets has been repeated in recent days, after the leak of a voice recording attributed to him, saying that the use of force against the protesters.
The reasons for the change were not explained less than 36 hours before the filing of candidacy files for the presidential elections is due.
The Algerian president is currently in Switzerland for "periodic medical examinations".
It is noted that there is no legal justification which compels the candidate to personally submit his file to the Constitutional Council.
The decision to sack the baskets and appoint Zaalan came a day after tens of thousands of demonstrators left to protest Bouteflika's 81-year-old bid for a new term.
Abdul Ghani Zaalan, 54, spent most of his career in the state administration as secretary-general of the United States and then served as governor of Oran, the country's second largest city. It is largely unknown to the public.