The digital platform, which had already taken similar measures on the eve of the last elections in Germany or the United States, said in a press release that it would remove "any video showing false accusations of fraud or technical problems which would have influenced the electoral result" four years ago.
Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly questioned the reliability of the electronic ballot box system in force since 1996, claiming – without presenting evidence – that “fraud” had prevented him from being elected in the first round.
These allegations by the far-right president have raised fears that he will not recognize the result of the presidential election in the event of defeat, like former US President Donald Trump, one of his models.
After the invasion of the Capitol in Washington in January 2021, Mr. Bolsonaro warned that Brazil would have “an even worse problem than in the United States” if it continued to use the electronic voting system.
YouTube said on Tuesday that any videos "containing false information that could deter voters from going to the polls" would be removed.
"This includes false reports that electronic ballot boxes were hacked during the 2018 election," the platform said.
Just over six months before the election, Jair Bolsonaro is ahead of former left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) in the polls, even if the gap has narrowed to around ten points these last weeks.
© 2022 AFP