New Delhi: The President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, is likely to be the Chief Guest at the upcoming Republic Day celebration in the national capital, according to media reports. However, the government of India has yet to make an official announcement. Every year, India invites world leaders to attend the celebration. In 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron was the chief guest.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi graced the occasion in 2023. There was no Republic Day Chief guest in 2021 and 2022 given the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, let us look at the complete list of World Leaders who have graced the Republic Day parade since 1950.
A History of Republic Day Chief Guests (1950-Present)
| Year | Republic Day Chief Guest | Country |
| 1950 | President Sukarno | Indonesia |
| 1951 | King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah | Nepal |
| 1952 | No invitation | – |
| 1953 | No invitation | – |
| 1954 | King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 1955 | Governor-General Malik Ghulam Muhammad | Pakistan |
| 1956 | Chancellor of the Exchequer RA Butler Chief Justice Kotaro Tanaka | United Kingdom Japan |
| 1957 | Minister of Defence Georgy Zhukov | Soviet Union |
| 1958 | Marshall Ye Jianying | China |
| 1959 | Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip | United Kingdom |
| 1960 | President Kliment Voroshilov | USSR |
| 1961 | Queen Elizabeth II | United Kingdom |
| 1962 | Prime Minister Viggo Kampmann | Denmark |
| 1963 | King Norodom Sihanouk | Cambodia |
| 1964 | Chief of Defence Staff Lord Louis Mountbatten | United Kingdom |
| 1965 | Food and Agriculture Minister Rana Abdul Hamid | Pakistan |
| 1966 | No invitation | No invitation |
| 1967 | King Mohammed Zahir Shah | Afghanistan |
| 1968 | Prime Minister Alexei Kosygin | USSR |
| President Josip Broz Tito | SFR Yugoslavia | |
| 1969 | Prime Minister of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov | Bulgaria |
| 1970 | King of the Belgians Baudouin | Belgium |
| 1971 | President Julius Nyerere | Tanzania |
| 1972 | Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam | Mauritius |
| 1973 | President Mobutu Sese Seko | Zaire |
| 1974 | President Josip Broz Tito | SFR Yugoslavia |
| Prime Minister Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike | Sri Lanka | |
| 1975 | President Kenneth Kaunda | Zambia |
| 1976 | Prime Minister Jacques Chirac | France |
| 1977 | First Secretary Edward Gierek | Poland |
| 1978 | President Patrick Hillery | Ireland |
| 1979 | Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser | Australia |
| 1980 | President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing | France |
| 1981 | President José López Portillo | Mexico |
| 1982 | King Juan Carlos I | Spain |
| 1983 | President Shehu Shagari | Nigeria |
| 1984 | King Jigme Singye Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 1985 | President Raúl Alfonsín | Argentina |
| 1986 | Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou | Greece |
| 1987 | President Alan García | Peru |
| 1988 | President Junius Jayewardene | Sri Lanka |
| 1989 | General Secretary Nguyen Van Linh | Vietnam |
| 1990 | Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth | Mauritius |
| 1991 | President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom | Maldives |
| 1992 | President Mário Soares | Portugal |
| 1993 | Prime Minister John Major | United Kingdom |
| 1994 | Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong | Singapore |
| 1995 | President Nelson Mandela | South Africa |
| 1996 | President Dr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso | Brazil |
| 1997 | Prime Minister Basdeo Panday | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 1998 | President Jacques Chirac | France |
| 1999 | King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev | Nepal |
| 2000 | President Olusegun Obasanjo | Nigeria |
| 2001 | President Abdelaziz Bouteflika | Algeria |
| 2002 | President Cassam Uteem | Mauritius |
| 2003 | President Mohammed Khatami | Iran |
| 2004 | President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva | Brazil |
| 2005 | King Jigme Singye Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 2006 | King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud[ | Saudi Arabia |
| 2007 | President Vladimir Putin | Russia |
| 2008 | President Nicolas Sarkozy | France |
| 2009 | President Nursultan Nazarbayev | Kazakhstan |
| 2010 | President Lee Myung Bak | Republic of Korea |
| 2011 | President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono | Indonesia |
| 2012 | Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra | Thailand |
| 2013 | King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | Bhutan |
| 2014 | Prime Minister Shinzo Abe | Japan |
| 2015 | President Barack Obama | United States |
| 2016 | President François Hollande | France |
| 2017 | Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed | United Arab Emirates |
| 2018 | Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Joko Widodo Thongloun Sisoulith Prime Minister Hun Sen Najib Razak President Htin Kyaw Rodrigo Roa Duterte Halimah Yacob Prayuth Chan-ocha Nguyễn Xuân Phúc | Brunei Indonesia Laos Cambodia Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam |
| 2019 | President Cyril Ramaphosa | South Africa |
| 2020 | President Jair Bolsonaro | Brazil |
| 2021 | No Guest due to COVID-19 Pandemic | – |
| 2022 | No Guest due to COVID-19 Pandemic | – |
| 2023 | President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi | Egypt |
| 2024 | President Emmanuel Macron | France |
| 2025 | President Prabowo Subianto | Indonesia |
Selection Process: How India Chooses Its Chief Guest
The selection process for choosing a Chief Guest for Republic Day takes about six months. The Ministry of External Affairs plays a key role in this process. Before inviting a nation, it is important to consider the current relationship between India and that country. Since Republic Day is a significant occasion for India, inviting another country shows a desire for friendship. Therefore, we also take into account our political, economic, military, and commercial interests.
The Ministry of External Affairs creates a list of potential candidates, which goes to the President and the Prime Minister for approval. Next, we check if the selected Chief Guest is available. Once we confirm their availability, India starts official communication with the guest’s country.
Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto reportedly will be the Chief Huest for India’s 2025 Republic Day. This article details the history of Republic Day Chief Guests since 1950 and highlights the selection process. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
