Ordre national du Mérite

The Ordre national du Mérite comprises about 185,000 members; 306,000 members have been admitted or promoted in 50 years.^[4] Half of its recipients are required to be women.^[4]

The Ordre national du Mérite replaced the following ministerial and colonial orders:^[3]

• Ordre de l'Étoile d'Anjouan (1874) (Order of the Star of Anjouan)
• Ordre du Nichan El-Anouar (1887) (Order of Nishan-e-Anuar or Order of Light)
• Ordre de l'Étoile Noire (1889) (Order of the Black Star)

• Ordre du Mérite social (Order of Societal Merit) (1936)
• Ordre de la Santé publique (Order of Public Health) (1938)
• Ordre du Mérite commercial et industriel [fr] (Order of Commercial and Industrial Merit) (1939)
• Ordre du Mérite artisanal [fr] (Order of Artisanal Merit) (1948)
• Ordre du Mérite touristique [fr] (Order of Tourism Merit) (1949)
• Ordre du Mérite combattant (Order of Combatant Merit) (1953)
• Ordre du Mérite postal [fr] (Order of Postal Merit) (1953)
• Ordre de l'Économie nationale [fr] (Order of the National Economy) (1954)
• Ordre du Mérite sportif [fr] (Order of Sports Merit) (1956)
• Ordre du Mérite du travail [fr] (Order of Work Merit) (1957)
• Ordre du Mérite militaire (Order of Military Merit) (1957)
• Ordre du Mérite civil (Order of Civil Merit) (1957)
• Ordre du Mérite Saharien (Order of Saharan Merit) (1958)

French citizens as well as foreign nationals, men and women, can be received into the order for distinguished military or civil achievements, though of a lesser level than that required for the award of the Legion of Honour. The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the order and appoints all its members by convention on the advice of the Government of France. The order has a common Chancellor and Chancery with the Legion of Honour. Every Prime Minister of France is made a Grand Cross of the order after 6 months of service.^[5] Jacques Chirac, who would later serve as president, was the first prime minister to receive the Grand Cross of the order ex officio.

The Order has five classes, the same as the Legion of Honour:^[3]

• Three ranks:
  • Commander (Commandeur): minimum of 5 years in the rank of Officer (for active duty commissioned officers, this is achieved after five years in the rank of Officer)
  • Officer (Officier): minimum of 5 years in the rank of Knight (for active duty commissioned officers, this is achieved after seven years in the rank of Knight)
  • Knight (Chevalier): to be of a minimum age of 35, have a minimum of 10 years of public service (although, in practice, 15 years is the minimum commonly needed to be conferred the rank of Knight), and "distinguished merits" (for active duty commissioned officers, this is achieved after fifteen years of meritorious service)
• Two additional dignities:
  • Grand Cross (Grand-Croix): minimum 3 years in the rank of Grand Officer
  • Grand Officer (Grand Officier): minimum 3 years in the rank of Commande

• Knight – wears the Medal on the left chest (bow form for women in dress)
• Officer – wears the Medal with rosette on the left chest (bow form for women in dress)
• Commander – wears the necklet on the neck for men and women (left shoulder in bow form for women in dress)
• Grand Officer – wears the Medal with rosette on the left chest, plus the Star on the right side of the stomach;
• Grand Cross – wears the Sash on the right shoulder to the left hip and the Star on the left side of the stomach.

The medal and the plaque of the Order were designed by the French sculptor Max Leognany.^[3]

• The medal of the order is a six-armed Maltese asteriskingilt (silver for chevalier) enamelled blue, with laurel leaves between the arms. The obverse central disc features the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République française (French Republic). The reverse central disc has a set of crossed tricolores, surrounded by the name of the order and its foundation date. The badge is suspended by a laurel wreath.
• The star (plaque) is worn by Grand-Croix (ingilt on the left breast) and Grand Officier (in silver on the right breast) respectively; it is a twelve-armed sunburst, with rays (formerly plain, now in blue enamel) between the arms. The central disc features the head of Marianne, surrounded by the legend République française and the name of the Order, and in turn surrounded by a wreath of laurel.
• The ribbon for the medal is a solid blue field. For the grade of Officier and above, a rosette is centered in the field. For the grades of Commandeur, Grand Officier, and Grand-Croix, the rosette is centered bar of silver; silver and gold, and a solid gold respectively.

The individuals listed below have been admitted as members of the National Order of Merit:

• List of Foreign recipients of the Ordre national du Mérite
• Order (decoration)
• Ribbons of the French military and civil awards
• State decoration

• France Phaléristique (in French)