Someof the 24officiallyregistered secularparties, whichhavegenerally failed to get more than a handful ofseats in the past, may pick up some of the difference.
Fearful of a spillover of sectarian troubles from both Iraq and Lebanon into Syria, an officiallysecular country with an equally combustible sectarian mix, Syrian authorities have grown increasingly intolerant of jihadists.
Though we encountered plenty of Turks who drink during our travels, our guide worried about how this would play out in the future in a country that, while officiallysecular, has a population that is 98% Muslim.