The world has welcomed the new year of 2015 as 2014 fades into the pages of history with many stories that jog our memories. While Turkey welcomes a new year with open arms and new hopes, the political atmosphere is expected to be busy both in domestic and foreign politics in 2015.In the first quarter of 2015, the country will have a feast of democracy with national elections. For the first time, the chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) will not be Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but Ahmet Davutoğlu – a completely new experience in the AK Party's 13 years in power. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is likely to see the internal feud over party leadership continue in the event that the AK Party triumphs once again in the upcoming elections.The reconciliation process that the government initiated in 2013 with the hopes of establishing the rights of Kurdish citizens and bringing an end to the PKK conflict that has been ongoing since the 1980s is expected to yield positive results in 2015. This depends on whether the talks continue smoothly with no stalling and the entire process remains on track with the planned schedule.Also occupying Turkey's political agenda in 2015, as clearly signaled by Erdoğan's, is the formation of a new constitution as part of the AK Party's goals in order to achieve his 2023 vision.The new year is expected to further mark the dispute between the Gülen Movement and Ankara as officials pledge to wipe out Gülen Movement infiltration in key government institutions and a Red Notice could be issued for the movement's leader, Fethullah Gülen.It appears that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) will be another issue that will continue to occupy the political agenda in 2015. Turkey shares a 900-kilometer border with the troubled region where terrorist organizations, particularly ISIS, have proliferated. The international coalition will continue to exert efforts to defeat ISIS and to ask for Turkey's assistance, while Ankara pushes its three demands: a no-fly zone, a safe zone and the training and equipping moderate Syrian opposition groups. An intensive year in foreign politics is expected in this regard. Many remarkable political events rocked the country in 2014 to which we bid farewell. Three crucial elections occupied the country's agenda, one of them being the March 30 local elections. This was believed to be the most important election test in the 12 years in power of the AK Party due to 2013's December 17 and December 25 operations and alleged coup attempts by the Gülen Movement. The second election was for president on August 10, when Turkey elected its president for the first time in its history by popular vote with a constitutional change made in the previous years. The country experienced what it feels like to have a direct voice in electing the country's next president. The third election was the Supreme Court of Judges and Prosecutors' (HSYK) election, with which the alleged infiltration by the Gülen Movement was expected to be wiped out from the judiciary.Apart from these crucial elections, 2014 was a year that saw the once-close allies, the Gülen Movement and the AK Party government part ways for good. According to officials, 2014 was one of the most "stabbed-in-the-back" years in recent history, when the movement's alleged illegal wiretapping and infiltration activities came to light. The seeds of this separation were sown with the February 7, 2012 operation allegedly carried out by the movement against National Intelligence Agency (MİT) Chief Hakan Fidan, for holding talks with the PKK in Oslo to end the decades-long conflict with the PKK as part of the reconciliation process. The government's decision to close prep schools, most of which are run by the Gülen Movement, completed the separation, and an arrest warrant was issued for Gülen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the U.S.The ISIS crisis that the world is still struggling to resolve was first drawn to our attention in 2014, when ISIS captured Iraq's second-largest city of Mosul. Turkey was the country most affected by this capture since 49 Turkish Consulate employees were taken hostage. This sad story turned into a joyous reunion when Turkey managed to secure the release of the hostages after lengthy diplomatic efforts.2014 was also the year that the country saw the biggest mining calamity in its history when 301 miners lost their lives in the western district of Soma. Eighty others were injured and the entire country mourned for those who died while Ankara stepped up its efforts to end workplace accidents. However, the Ermenek mine disaster followed the Soma tragedy and claimed more miners' lives in 2014.01 JANUARYEchoes of December 17 and December 25 operations2014 began with a rocky start for Turkish politics amid the echoes of the December 17 and December 25 operations carried out by the Gülen Movement into then Prime Minister Erdoğan, his close family and several renowned businessmen in the government. Raging against the movement, Erdoğan described the operations as a coup attempt on the legitimate government by Gülenist infiltrators.New bill reforms Turkish judiciaryCriticizing Gülenist prosecutors behind the December 17 operation, the government pressed the button on January 7 to restructure Turkey's Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK). The opposition parties stood against the bill and portrayed it as an attempt to limit the independence of the judiciary. Regarding the HSYK's structure at the time, Erdoğan said that the top judicial body started to abuse the power that was given as part of the 2012 Referandum and added, "We shouldn't have disentitled the supervisory power over the HSYK."Probe into prosecutors who launched the December 17, 2013 operationIn mid-January, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ allowed the HSYK to launch a probe against three prosecutors who launched the December 17 operation.Raid on Turkish Intelligence's trucks en route to SyriaOn January 19, 2014, a raid on Turkish intelligence's (MİT) truck en route to Syria to deliver humanitarian aids caused a stir in Turkey. Upon the order of an alleged Gülenist prosecutor, Turkish gendarmerie stopped and attempted to search the humanitarian aid truck allegedly carrying arms to the Syrian rebels in southern Turkey. The government stopped the raid and the truck resumed its trip.Turkey strongly condemns systematic killing in SyriaLate January, photos and documents revealing the "systematic killing" of 11,000 detainees in Syrian jails by the Assad regime shook the world. Turkey condemned the systematic killings and called the world to act against the "brutality" of the Syrian regime.02 FEBRUARY Parliament approves Internet billIn February 6, 2014, the Turkish Parliament approved the Internet bill despite concerns raised by some critics as part of an omnibus bill. The bill includes amendments on Internet, lands categorized as 2/B, and one of Turkey's health projects called "health campus." The new law on the Internet was one of the most debated in Turkey. While the government argued that the bill would protect personal privacy, it has been criticized by the main opposition parties and some international bodies who claim that it will limit the freedom of Internet users.Stalled reunification talks over Cyprus island resuscitatedOn Februrary 11, 2014, stalled talks to reunify the divided Cyprus island were resuscitated with a joint declaration outlining the details of a federal state re-uniting the island and signed by Northern and Southern Cyprus leaders.Specially authorized courts abolishedOn February 13, 2014, a democratization package, including the abolishment of special authorized courts (ÖYM), amendments to the Code on Criminal Procedure (CMK), and a proposal to amend 22 other laws was accepted by the Parliamentary Justice Commission.03 MARCH Parliament approves closure of prep-schoolsTurkey's long-debated draft bill on the closure of the prep schools, many of which are run by the Gülen Movement, was approved by the Turkish Parliament in early March.AK Party wins local electionsThe nationwide local elections which were considered as a test for the AK Party after the December 17 operations dominated the entire month. Giving a vote of confidence to the ruling AK Party, the March 30 elections displayed the victory of the AK Party which won most of the critical cities by a landslide. Overall, the AK Party garnered 45.56 percent of the vote, while the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) received 27.91 percent in the local elections.Privacy row over Twitter and YouTubeThe Twitter issue emerged in Turkey following the government's blocking of the social media platform after several courts ruled to protect users against privacy violations on March 21, prior to the local elections. Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority revealed that Twitter had remained indifferent to Turkey's court rulings to remove certain links. Following the Twitter ban, the country was shaken only three days before the local elections with the leaked high-level security meeting among Turkish senior officials on the video-sharing website YouTube. Ankara's chief prosecutor launched a probe into the wiretapped security meeting, and YouTube blocked the link showing the security meeting. A written notice regarding the issue that was sent to the telecommunication authority said that the content of the leaked tape posed an imminent threat to the country's national security.04 APRILTwitter and YouTube ban liftedOn April 3, 2014, the Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ministry announced the lifting of the ban imposed on Twitter after a top court decided that it was a violation of user rights.Presidential election remarks beginIn April, remarks by Turkish officials over the presidential election began as the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) received a vote of confidence in local elections. Senior governmental officials began to speak about the fact that Erdoğan would likely run for president.Erdoğan releases message on the 99th anniversary of the Armenian incidentsOn the eve of the 99th anniversary of the Armenian incidents in 1915, Erdoğan released a historic message on April 23 in nine languages related to the 1915 incidents. It is marked as the first time in the Republic of Turkey's history that the Prime Ministry delivered such a message.Highlighting significant remarks in his message, Erdoğan said, "It is a duty of humanity to acknowledge that Armenians remember the suffering experienced in that period, just like every other citizen of the Ottoman Empire."05 MAYTurkey mourns the miners who lost their lives in SomaTurkey's worst-ever mining disaster claimed more than 282 lives in the district of Soma in the western city of Manisa in the deadliest mine tragedy in the country's history. Three days of mourning were announced by the government as the country mourned for those who lost their lives. A Turkish court arrested eight people, including the general manager of the company, for "causing multiple deaths." Despite simmering anger and grief as well as negligence allegations against the coal mining company, inspectors and government officials across the country, Turkey's political parties displayed unity over the tragic disaster and continued rescue work both to save the trapped miners as soon as possible and to comfort the miners' relatives. Following the heartbreaking disaster, the government decided to step up its efforts to combat occupational accidents.Kurdish mothers raise their voice against the PKK: 'Give us back our children'A group of Kurdish families staged a sit-in in front of the town hall in Diyarbakır in May to protest the recruitment of their children by the outlawed PKK. Daily Sabah supported the calls of families with the Kurdish headline "Zarokên me vegerînin" (bring back our children).06 JUNE Military coup leaders sentenced to life imprisonmentA court in Ankara handed down life sentences to Kenan Evren, the chief of general staff who spearheaded the military coup in 1980 and served as president until 1989, and former Air Force Commander Tahsin Şahinkaya, at the June 17 hearing on the coup.ISIS captured Iraq's Mosul, took Turkish citizens hostageISIS militants raided Turkey's consulate in Mosul and kidnapped diplomats in June. The terrorist organization also abducted 32 Turkish truck drivers in the captured city. Top officials in Ankara convened to determine how to tackle the threat posed by the terrorist group.Opposition parties announced Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu as presidential candidateThe long-continued search for a joint-candidate for Turkey's main opposition parties, the Republican People's Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), produced results. CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli announced on June 16, 2014, that they had decided to nominate former Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu as their candidate for the upcoming presidential election on August 10.07 JULYErdoğan throws his hat in the ringOn July 1, 2014, Erdoğan's nomination for the presidency was announced with a huge ceremony with nearly 4,000 party members. He made a historic speech to party members and said it was not a farewell, but a beginning amid AK Party members' chants.Abducted Turkish truck drivers freed in IraqThirty-two Turkish truck drivers who had been kidnapped by ISIS militants in Mosul, Iraq in June were released in July 2014.Islamic scholars convened in Istanbul to stop bloodshed in the Middle EastThe Turkish Directorate of Regional Affairs was scheduled to host a conference for Islamic scholars in Istanbul on July 16, 2014 to stand against extremism and violence dominating the Middle East. Titled, "The World Islamic Scholars Peace, Moderation and Common Sense Initiative," the conference hosted Islamic scholars from 32 different countries.08 AUGUSTErdoğan becomes first directly elected president in Turkey's historyErdoğan was elected president with 51.8 percent of the vote in the August 10 presidential election. Giving his traditional balcony speech that turned into a ritual after nine election victories in 13 years, President-elect Erdoğan stressed the notion of "citizens of Turkey."Davutoğlu becomes prime ministerAhmet Davutoğlu, who had been serving as foreign minister since 2009, was elected as the chairman of the AK Party at an extraordinary party congress. The AK Party's Central Executive Board had unanimously nominated Davutoğlu as its candidate for the top role on August 21. He announced his cabinet on August 29, a day after Erdoğan's presidential inauguration ceremony and, as widely expected, the new cabinet signaled no major changes in policy.German weekly reveals NSA spying on TurkeyGermany-based weekly Der Spiegel on August 30 claimed that the U.S. NSA has been spying on Turkey through secret services in Turkey's capital city Ankara and Istanbul with the headline "Two Faced Friendship."09 SEPTEMBERCHP holds extraordinary party congress after election defeatThe CHP held its 18th extraordinary party congress to elect the party chair on September 4-5. Party leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu secured his post against rival Muharrem İnce, who left his post as deputy chairman and announced candidacy for chairmanship.Turkish Consulate hostages in Iraq rescued after 101 days of tense waitAfter 101 days of waiting, Turkish Consulate hostages held by ISIS insurgents in Mosul were freed due to diplomatic negotiations with tribes in the region on September 21, 2014. The joyous reunion at Esenboğa Airport in Turkey's capital Ankara came as a huge relief when the hostages met their families in a flood of emotion after the confidential operation. Fleeing ISIS, 100,000 Syrian Kurds cross into TurkeyLate September, Turkey welcomed 100,000 displaced Syrian Kurdish refugees, who in less than two days, crossed into Turkey from northern Syria to flee an advance by ISIS fighters. This flow was one of the biggest influxes of refugees that Turkey faced since the civil war started.10 OCTOBERTroop mandate passes ParliamentA comprehensive motion to expand authorization to act against ISIS in Iraq and Syria passed in Parliament on October 2. While the MHP supported the mandate, the CHP and HDP harbored reservations. The motion also included a mandate for the government to send the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) to foreign countries, for instance Iraq or Syria, if necessary. The motion is to last for a period of one year.Thirty-eight people lost their lives in the pro-Kurdish Kobani protestsThe HDP called for demonstrations on October 6 to protest the ISIS attacks and lack of support from Ankara for the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani. Ankara accused the HDP of causing the street violence that caused the deaths. After several days of clashes between pro- and anti-PKK groups in southeastern Turkey, HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş held a press conference and rejected the allegations that his party and lawmakers had called for mass violent demonstrations saying they called for unity and peaceful protests across the country to draw attention to halt the ISIS attacks.Ankara allowed first peshmerga forces to cross into Syria from TurkeyAnkara allowed the first peshmerga forces that entered the besieged Syrian town of Kobani on Thursday via Turkey and FSA fighters crossed the Turkish border in late November to reinforce Syrian Kurdish groups in their fight against ISIS.11 NOVEMBERThe pope visits TurkeyPope Francis was in Turkey during the last three days of November. He met with politicians and religious leaders, including President Erdoğan and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The visit became more of an issue regarding relations between Islam and Christianity. Urging Western countries to act against Islamophobia, senior Turkish officials urged to increase efforts to halt increasing prejudice against Muslim communities in the West. Along with Islamophobia, Francis's visit was expected to tackle the 1,000-year-old schism between Catholicism and Orthodoxy where it all started in Constantinople, now Istanbul.Biden in Turkey for talks on the ISIS threatU.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Turkey for talks on the ISIS crisis in late November. The main agenda item of the talks was the anti- ISIS coalition to halt the group's advances, Washington's request to use Turkey's İncirlik air base for coalition airstrikes against ISIS and Turkey's demands in return of establishing a no-fly zone and safe zone along the border with Syria.12 DECEMBERRussian President Vladimir Putin came to Turkey on December 1Putin arrived in Turkey with 10 ministers in tow to promise a vast increase in trade and closer relations despite sharp differences over the crises in Syria and Ukraine. During his visit, Putin announced the cancellation of the multi-billion dollar South Stream gas pipeline to Europe, saying instead that Russia would work with Turkey on a new gas hub.High level EU officials visited Turkey for cooperation against ISIS High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Christos Stylianides traveled to Turkey on December 8-9 in one of the highest profile EU visits in years to hold talks on ways to cooperate more closely in the fight against ISIS and Turkey's EU accession process.Report revealed 20,000 illegal wiretapping by members of the Gülen Movement Investigations conducted at the Istanbul Police Intelligence Unit revealed that members of the Gülen Movement in the security forces conducted 20,000 wiretappings, including listening in on former army commanders, bureaucrats, prominent businessmen, journalists and columnists.Police launch December 14 Tahşiye operation against Gülen MovementOn December 14, police launched an operation on the Gülen-linked figures in media and police as part of the Tahşiye case. Police raided the offices of Zaman daily and Samanyolu Broadcasting Group in Istanbul and detained the Zaman Editor-in-Chief Ekrem Dumanlı and Samanyolu Chairman Hidayet Karaca. Dumanlı was released after taken into custody and Karaca was arrested.An arrest warrant was issued for Fethullah GülenIn late December, an Istanbul court issued an arrest warrant for Fethullah Gülen for allegedly establishing and administrating a terrorist organization. The court decision will enable Ankara to ask Interpol to issue a Red Notice and potentially prompt an investigation by Interpol since Gülen currently resides in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania in self-imposed exile.