The Xirka Ġieħ ir-Repubblika is a society of honour that offers membership to those who have demonstrated exceptional merit in the service of

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

or of humanity. Its motto is ''Għall-Ġid tal-Maltin'' ("For the Benefit of the Maltese").

Award

The Xirka is limited to twenty members. With the exception of honorary members, the number of new members may not exceed three persons for every two years. Once the maximum number of members has been met, a new member cannot be appointed until a vacancy occurs. Maltese nationals and distinguished citizens of other countries may be appointed as honorary members of the Xirka. Members and honorary members are legally entitled to have the initials "S.Ġ." (Sieħeb il-Ġieħ) placed after their names.

Insignia

The Badge of the Order, an enameled representation of La Valletta's

Bartizan A bartizan (an alteration of ''bratticing''), also called a guerite, ''garita'', or ''échauguette'', or spelled bartisan, is an overhanging turret projecting from the walls of late-medieval and early-modern fortifications from the early 14th c ...

, is surrounded by a white band with golden inscriptions. The order's motto appears at the top and its name, "Ġieħ ir-Repubblika" at the bottom. The whole is surrounded by a gold and green wreath of laurel leaves. Additionally, hanging over a golden dove resting on a golden band is the order's s date of establishment: 1975. The breast-star of the Order has the same design as the badge, but resting on a radiating golden sun. The ribbon of the Order is red with two white borders.

Notable honorary members

* Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

, S.Ġ. 23 November 2005 * Queen Sofia of Spain, S.Ġ. 25 November 2009 * Colonel

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

, S.Ġ. 5 December 1975 (revoked 26 August 2011) *

Giovanni Leone Giovanni Leone (; 3 November 1908 – 9 November 2001) was an Italian politician, jurist and university professor who was President of Italy from 1971 to 1978. A founding member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC), Leone br ...

, President of Italy, S.Ġ. 6 December 1975 *

Li Xiannian Li Xiannian (; 23 June 1909 – 21 June 1992) was a Chinese Chinese Communist Party, Communist military and political leader, president of China from 1983 to 1988 under paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and then chairman of the Chinese People's Politi ...

President of the People's Republic of China The president of China, officially the president of the People's Republic of China, is the List of state representatives of the People's Republic of China, state representative of the China, People's Republic of China. On its own, it is a Fig ...

, S.Ġ. 22 November 1984 *

Kim Il-sung Kim Il Sung (born Kim Song Ju; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he led as its first supreme leader from its establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. Afterwards, he was ...

President of North Korea The president of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea () was the head of state of North Korea from 1972 to 1998. The position was only occupied by Kim Il Sung from 1972 until Death and state funeral of Kim Il Sung, his death in 1994. Aside ...

, S.Ġ. 1 August 1985 *

José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and law professor. He previously served from 2002 to 2004 as the List of Prime Ministers of Portugal, 114th prime minister of Portugal and from 2004–2014 as the 11 ...

, S.Ġ. 10 October 1994 * President

Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (; 9 December 1920 – 16 September 2016) was an Italian politician, statesman and banker who was the President of Italy from 1999 to 2006 and the Prime Minister of Italy from 1993 to 1994. A World War II veteran, C ...

, of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, S.Ġ. 19 May 2005 * President

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga (; born 1 December 1937) is a Latvian politician who served as the sixth president of Latvia from 1999 to 2007. She is the first and to date only woman to hold the post and the most recent to be re-elected for a second ter ...

, of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, S.Ġ. 19 June 2006 * General Harald Kujat * Ingrid Rüütel, wife of

Arnold Rüütel Arnold Rüütel (, 10 May 1928 – 31 December 2024) was an Estonian politician. He was the third President of Estonia from 8 October 2001 to 9 October 2006. Rüütel was the second president of the country after the end of the 1944–1991 Sovie ...

, President of

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, S.Ġ. 1 October 2003 * Imants Freibergs, husband of

, S.Ġ. 16 February 2004 * Fotini Papadopoulou, wife of

Tassos Papadopoulos Efstathios "Tassos" Nikolaou Papadopoulos (; 7 January 1934 – 12 December 2008) was a Cypriot politician and barrister, who served as President of Cyprus from 2003 to 2008. An experienced member of the Makarios III’s cabinet, Papadopo ...

(President of Cyprus), S.Ġ. 17 February 2005 * Kateryna Yushchenko, wife of

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...

, President of Ukraine, S.Ġ. 9 July 2008 * Maria Alves da Silva Cavaco Silva, wife of

Aníbal Cavaco Silva Aníbal António Cavaco Silva (; born 15 July 1939) is a Portuguese economist and politician who served as the 19th president of Portugal, from 9 March 2006 to 9 March 2016, and as prime minister of Portugal, from 6 November 1985 to 25 October ...

, President of Portugal, S.Ġ. 12 November 2008 *

Maria Kaczyńska Maria Helena Kaczyńska (; ; 21 August 1942 – 10 April 2010) was the First Lady of Poland from 2005 to 2010 as the wife of President Lech Kaczyński. She and her husband died in a plane crash in the Russian city of Smolensk. Early and per ...

, First Lady of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, S.Ġ. 26 January 2009 *

Zorka Parvanova Zorka Petrova Parvanova ( ; born 4 May 1958) is a Bulgarian historian and former First Lady of Bulgaria from 2002 until 2012. She is married to Georgi Parvanov, the former President of Bulgaria. Early life and career Paravanova was born 4 Ma ...

, wife of Georgi Parvanov, President of Bulgaria, S.Ġ. 20 October 2009 * Maria Băsescu, wife of

Traian Băsescu Traian Băsescu (; born 4 November 1951) is a Romanian politician who served as the president of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency, Băsescu served as Romanian minister of transport on multiple occasions between 1991 and 2000, ...

, President of

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, S.Ġ. 30 June 2010 *

Günter Verheugen Günter Verheugen (; born 28 April 1944) is a German politician who served as European Commissioner for Enlargement from 1999 to 2004, and then as European Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry from 2004 to 2010. He was also one of five vic ...

, S.Ġ. 17 March 2004 * George Iacovou, Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs, S.Ġ. 17 February 2005 *

Dalia Grybauskaitė Dalia Grybauskaitė (; born 1 March 1956) is a Lithuanian politician who served as the eighth president of Lithuania from 2009 to 2019. She is the first and so far only woman to hold the position and in 2014 she became the first President of Li ...

, President of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

, S.Ġ. 29 May 2012 *

Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...

, S.Ġ. 13 December 2017 *

Louis Grech Louis Grech (born 22 March 1947) is a Maltese politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, as well as Minister of European Affairs. He also served as Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs of the Labour Party. He currently serves ...

, S.Ġ. 13 December 2017 *

George Vella George William Vella (born 24 April 1942) is a Maltese politician who served as the 10th president of Malta from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party (Malta), Labour Party, he previously served as Deputy Prime Minister of Malta, deputy p ...

, S.Ġ. 13 December 2017

References

External links

Honorary Members

Honours and Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Xirka Gieh ir-Repubblika Orders, decorations, and medals of Malta Orders of chivalry awarded to heads of state, consorts and sovereign family members