Order of the Liberator
Introduction The '''Order of the Liberator''' was the highest distinction of Venezuela and was appointed for services to the country, outstanding merit and benefits made to the community. For Venezuelans the order ranks first in the order of precedence from other orders, national and foreign.The President of Venezuela is the Chief of the Order and has the faculty of appointing. By right, he wears the Collar of the Order.The order was created by Antonio Guzmán Blanco on September 14, 1880, and reformed in 1922 under the presidential term of Juan Vicente Gómez, the Order has as precedent the ''Medal of Distinction with the bust of the Liberator'' created on March 11, 1854 under the presidency of José Gregorio Monagas and before that, the ''Order of the Liberators'' created by Simón Bolívar in 1813.In 2010, the National Assembly of Venezuela decided to officially abolish the order and replace it with the Order of the Liberators of Venezuela.
Grades * ''Collar''* First Class (Grand Cordon)* Second Class (Grand Officer)* Third Class (Commander)* Fourth Class (Officer)* Fifth Class (Knight) '''Ribbon bars of the Order of the Liberator''' centerKnight centerOfficer centerCommander centerGrand Officer centerGrand Cordon centerCollarFile:Venezuelan Order of the Liberator - Grand Cross set of insignia.png|Grand Cross set of the Order.File:Venezuelan Order of the Liberator - Grand Cross badge (obverse).png|Grand Cross badge (obverse).File:Venezuelan Order of the Liberator - Grand Cross star.png|Grand Cross star.File:Venezuelan Order of the Liberator - Grand Cross badge (reverse).png|Grand Cross badge (reverse).File:Venezuelan Order of the Liberator - Grand Cross set.png|Grand Cross of the Order.File:The Order of the Bust of Bolivar, or Order of the Liberator of Venezuela, from the World's Decorations series (N44) for Allen & Ginter Cigarettes MET DP839336.jpg|Illustration of the Knights Class.File:Grand Cordon of the Order of of the Liberator Simon Bolivar (Venezuela) - Memorial JK - Brasilia - DSC00421.JPG|Grand Collar of the Order.File:De Orde van de Bevrijder Venezuela Ridderkruis voor en achterzijde met het lint.jpg|Knights Cross of the Order.File:Venezuela - Léon Bourgeois - Ordre de Simón Bolívar.jpg|Grand Cross breast star.File:Portrait of Simón Bolívar by Arturo Michelena.jpg|Simón Bolívar, the Orders namesake.
Recipients === Collars ===*  Mahathir Mohamad, (former Malaysian Prime Minister) *  Juan Carlos I of Spain, (former King of Spain)*  Rafael Correa, (former President of Ecuador)*  Suharto, (former President of Indonesia)*  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, (former president of Islamic Republic of Iran)* Cheddi Jagan, (former President of Guyana)=== Officer ===*  A.J. van Koolwijk
Abolishment and replacement In 2010, the National Assembly of Venezuela decided to officially abolish the order and replace it with the Order of the Liberators of Venezuela, a revival of the medal created by Simón Bolívar in 1813 to honor participants of the Admirable Campaign.The new order, unlike its predecessor, has 3 classes, in ascending order:* Arrow of the Liberators* Lance of the Liberators* Sword of the LiberatorsThe President is the order's Grand Master, and has full authority over appointments to the Order. He or she wears the collar of the Sword of the Liberators class of the order.
References *  Gaceta Oficial de los Estados Unidos de Venezuela - Ley sobre Condecoracion de la Orden del Libertador 13 de Junio de 1922 (Spanish)