The stifling deadlock that threatens to postpone the election of a new president of Lebanon for the next few weeks — if not months — does not mean there is a dearth of exemplary candidates who are not traditional Maronite leaders. Those other candidates are equipped with the clarity of commitment and the wisdom of judgment and thus can be, at critical moments such as Lebanon today, possible candidates.

What is urgently needed to break through are candidates with a proven record of knowledge, enlightenment and the ability to deal with complexity and resolve lingering social, economic and political problems.

Perhaps this current stalemate is a blessing in disguise. It could result in the promotion of candidates with independent judgment, objective policies and enlightened decisions, and prepare the ground for the future generations of Lebanese. It can enable a system of government predicated on a secular constitution, good governance, immunity from political paralysis and the dangers of the sectarian divide.

In this respect, with the failure of a divided parliament captive to historical civil strife and conflicts, a new president can now emerge as a statesman, a healing figure, a guarantor of good governance and an embodiment of the democratic values that have always been threatened by sectarian politics.