A substantial rise in electoral fraud allegations during the AKP government, most prevalently during the 2014 local elections, as well as numerous government corruption scandals, has raised speculation that the AKP harbours not an Islamist but an authoritarian hidden agenda, which aims to a gradual eliminatation of democratic checks and balances.[16][17][18][19] Judicial reforms by the government in 2014 that were criticised as an attempt to politicise the courts, a heavy-handed police crackdown following anti-government protests in 2013 and increasing media censorship have also furthered that claim.[20][21]