Indonesia Prez Subianto to be Chief Guest at Republic Day 2025 Event

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto will be the chief guest at the 76th Republic Day celebration to be held on 26th January 2025 at the Kartavya Path (earlier Rajpath) in New Delhi. Incidentally, the first President of Indonesia Sukarno was the chief guest at the first Republic Day celebration held in New Delhi on 26 January 1950.

French President Emmanuel Macron was the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebration in 2024.

Republic Day is celebrated in the country on 26th January every year to mark the promulgation of the Indian constitution which established the Republic of India.

The government of India invites a foreign leader as a chief guest on the occasion. 

In 1952,1953, 1966,2021, and 2022 there were no foreign chief guests due to various reasons.

President Subianto's Visit to India 

President Prabowo Subianto will be on an official visit to India from 23- 26 January 2026.

This is the first official visit of President Prabowo Subianto to India since he was sworn in as the 8th President of Indonesia in October 2024. During his visit to India, he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top Indian leadership and will discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues. 

India and Indonesia share close ties and were the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in 1961.

Selection of the Republic Day’s Chief Guest 

The selection and extension of invitations to foreign leaders to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebration is the responsibility of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

The Ministry considers many factors before selecting foreign leaders for this purpose. 

It considers factors like India’s economic, political, and military relationship with the concerned country. 

After selecting the foreign leader, the approval of the Prime Minister is taken by the Ministry. The Ministry then inquires whether the foreign leader is available on that date or not . 

If the foreign leaders agree then an official invitation is issued to the foreign leader, on behalf of the Prime Minister of India.

About the Republic Day Parade and its Celebration

The Union Ministry of Defence is responsible for the Republic Day and the Independence Day celebration in New Delhi. The organisation of the ceremonial Parade and the tableaux displayed on the occasion are the responsibility of the Defence Ministry.

• First chief guest- President Sukarno of Indonesia in 1950. 
• First female chief guest- Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 1961.
• Pakistani chief guest- Two Pakistani leaders have been chief guests so far.

Malik Ghulam Muhammad, Governor General of Pakistan was the chief guest in 1955.

Rana Abdul Hamid, Minister of the Pakistani government, in 1965.

• Nobel Prize winners as chief guest- Nelson Mandela of South Africa (1995 ) and Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (1991). 
• Jacques Chirac of France participated once as a President and once as a Prime Minister.

As Prime Minister of France , Jacques Chirac was the chief guest in 1976.

In 1998, he participated as the President of France .

• Only American President - Barack Obama in 2015.
• In 2018, all 10 leaders of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) were the chief guests at the Republic Day parade.
• In 2023, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah-al Sisi was the chief guest.
• In 2024 French President Emmanuel Macron was the chief guest.

Also Read: Swarnim Bharat: Virasat aur Vikas theme of 2025 Republic Day Tableaux