Republic Day 2026 chief guest list

India’s 77th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2026, are set to carry strong diplomatic significance as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa will attend the parade as chief guests at Kartavya Path, New Delhi.This marks the first time that top European Union leadership has been invited together for India’s Republic Day, signalling a major shift in New Delhi’s engagement with Brussels.A First in Republic Day HistoryThe 2026 invitation is historic for more than one reason. While India has hosted several global leaders over the decades, this is the first occasion when the European Union’s top political leadership will attend as a collective representation of the EU.The move reflects India’s growing recognition of the EU as a single strategic partner, rather than a group of individual countries.It also comes at a crucial time, with trade talks between India and the European Union gaining momentum.Why This Invitation Matters for India–EU RelationsThe presence of Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa is being seen as a strong diplomatic signal ahead of ongoing trade negotiations.Earlier this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, von der Leyen described the upcoming India–EU trade pact as “the mother of all deals”, hinting at a potentially historic Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two sides.The timing of the Republic Day invitation suggests:Strengthening economic and strategic tiesRenewed momentum in India–EU trade talksGrowing cooperation on technology, climate, defence and supply chainsEurope’s interest in India as a long-term strategic partnerWho Are the EU Leaders Attending Republic Day 2026?Ursula von der LeyenShe is the President of the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm. Her role includes shaping EU policy, overseeing trade negotiations, and representing the bloc globally on economic and strategic matters.António CostaAs the President of the European Council, Costa chairs EU summits and represents the collective interests of EU member states. His presence highlights political unity within the bloc.Republic Day Chief Guests: A Long-Standing Diplomatic TraditionSince 1950, India has invited a foreign head of state or government as the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations. The choice has always reflected India’s foreign policy priorities.From leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War to strategic partners in recent years, Republic Day invitations have often mirrored India’s evolving global position.Notably:France has been invited multiple times, most recently in 2024The US was represented by Barack Obama in 2015ASEAN leaders were invited collectively in 2018Egypt’s President attended in 2023List of Chief Guests at India’s Republic Day Parade (1950–2026) YearChief Guest(s)Country / Entity1950President SukarnoIndonesia1951King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram ShahNepal1952No invitation—1953No invitation—1954King Jigme Dorji WangchuckBhutan1955Governor-General Malik Ghulam MuhammadPakistan1956R. A. Butler; Kotaro TanakaUnited Kingdom; Japan1957Marshal Georgy ZhukovSoviet Union1958Marshal Ye JianyingChina1959Duke of Edinburgh (Prince Philip)United Kingdom1960President Kliment VoroshilovUSSR1961Queen Elizabeth IIUnited Kingdom1962PM Viggo KampmannDenmark1963King Norodom SihanoukCambodia1964Lord Louis MountbattenUnited Kingdom1965Rana Abdul HamidPakistan1966No invitation—1967King Mohammed Zahir ShahAfghanistan1968PM Alexei Kosygin; President TitoUSSR; Yugoslavia1969PM Todor ZhivkovBulgaria1970King BaudouinBelgium1971President Julius NyerereTanzania1972PM Seewoosagur RamgoolamMauritius1973President Mobutu Sese SekoZaire1974Tito; Sirimavo BandaranaikeYugoslavia; Sri Lanka1975President Kenneth KaundaZambia1976PM Jacques ChiracFrance1977Edward GierekPoland1978President Patrick HilleryIreland1979PM Malcolm FraserAustralia1980President Valéry Giscard d’EstaingFrance1981President José López PortilloMexico1982King Juan Carlos ISpain1983President Shehu ShagariNigeria1984King Jigme Singye WangchuckBhutan1985President Raúl AlfonsínArgentina1986PM Andreas PapandreouGreece1987President Alan GarcíaPeru1988President Junius JayewardeneSri Lanka1989Nguyen Van LinhVietnam1990PM Anerood JugnauthMauritius1991President Maumoon Abdul GayoomMaldives1992President Mário SoaresPortugal1993PM John MajorUnited Kingdom1994PM Goh Chok TongSingapore1995President Nelson MandelaSouth Africa1996President Fernando Henrique CardosoBrazil1997PM Basdeo PandayTrinidad and Tobago1998President Jacques ChiracFrance1999King BirendraNepal2000President Olusegun ObasanjoNigeria2001President Abdelaziz BouteflikaAlgeria2002President Cassam UteemMauritius2003President Mohammad KhatamiIran2004President Lula da SilvaBrazil2005King Jigme Singye WangchuckBhutan2006King Abdullah bin AbdulazizSaudi Arabia2007President Vladimir PutinRussia2008President Nicolas SarkozyFrance2009President Nursultan NazarbayevKazakhstan2010President Lee Myung-bakSouth Korea2011President Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoIndonesia2012PM Yingluck ShinawatraThailand2013King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WangchuckBhutan2014PM Shinzo AbeJapan2015President Barack ObamaUnited States2016President François HollandeFrance2017Crown Prince Mohammed bin ZayedUAE2018ASEAN LeadersASEAN Nations2019President Cyril RamaphosaSouth Africa2020President Jair BolsonaroBrazil2021PM Boris Johnson (cancelled)United Kingdom2022No chief guest—2023President Abdel Fattah el-SisiEgypt2024President Emmanuel MacronFrance2025President Prabowo SubiantoIndonesia2026Ursula von der Leyen; António CostaEuropean UnionInputs from agencies