Republic Day 2025: A look at Chief Guests for January 26 from 1950–2024
PTC News Desk: As India celebrates 76th Republic Day on January 26, 2025 the nation honors the historic date when the Constitution of India came into effect in 1950, replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India.
Republic Day 2025: Chief Guest
Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto is the Chief Guest at this year’s Republic Day Parade. A a 190-member ensemble band from the Indonesian Military Academy (Akmil) and Marching Contingent, comprising 152 personnel from all branches of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) marched on Karvatya Path on 76th Republic Day.
| Year | Guest Name | 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 | ||
| Chancellor of the Exchequer R. A. Butler | United Kingdom | |||
| 1956 | Chief Justice Kotaro Tanaka | 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 | - | ||
| 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 | ||
| President Josip Broz Tito | SFR Yugoslavia | |||
| 1974 | 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 | 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 | Najib Razak | Malaysia | ||
| 2019 | President Cyril Ramaphosa | South Africa | ||
| 2020 | President Jair Bolsonaro | Brazil | ||
| 2021 | Prime Minister Boris Johnson (cancelled his visit) | United Kingdom | ||
| 2022 | No invitation due to Covid | - | ||
| 2023 | President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi | Egypt | ||
| 2024 | President Emmanuel Macron | France | ||
| 2025 | President Prabowo Subianto | Indonesia |
How India chooses Chief Guest for Republic Day?
The selection of the chief guest for India's Republic Day celebrations is typically a diplomatic decision made by the Indian government, specifically by the Ministry of External Affairs. The process involves considering various factors such as diplomatic relations, strategic partnerships, and historical ties with different countries, roles in regional or global affairs, cultural and economic ties, etc.
- PTC NEWS
