The chief guest of the 2019 Republic Day is the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa. He was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
In 2018, in an unprecedented move, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited leaders of all ten Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations as guests of honour at the Republic Day parade.
Here’s a glimpse at the R-Day Chief Guests from the past:
2007: President Vladimir Putin of Russia
2008: President Nicolas Sarkozy of France
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2009: President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan
2010: President Lee Myung Bak of South Korea
2011: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia
2012: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand
2013: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan
2014: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan
2015: President Barack Obama of USA
2016: President Francois Hollande of France
2018: Leaders of 10 ASEAN Nations
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- Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam: He is the 29th and current Sultan of Brunei. He is also the first and incumbent Prime Minister of the country. He succeeded to the throne as the Sultan of Brunei on 5 October 1967. The Sultan is the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Minister of Finance, Head of Islam (Caliph), Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Head of Customs, Supreme Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the Inspector General of the Royal Brunei Police Force. He is also the richest man on earth.
2 Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia: He is one of the longest-serving PMs in the world. He became the PM in 1985 and has ruled Cambodia ever since. He became the PM at the age of 32 and was the youngest PM in the world at that time. Cambodia has very close ties with China.
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3. Joko Wiododo, President of Indonesia: Indonesia is a growing economy and is looking for a strong foothold in South Asia. He is also one of the founders of the Afro-Asia cooperation.
4. Bounnhang Vorachith, President of Laos:He came to power in 2016 and this will be He is also the General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, making him ranked first in the Politburo hierarchy.
5. Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia: Keen to expand ties with India, he has visited India earlier in 2017 and hosted the Indian PM in 2015 during the ASEAN summit.
6. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar: A very well-known face in the world arena, Suu Kyi graduated from Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College and is a fellow of Shimla’s Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. She has faced opposition from the West due to the alleged ethnic cleansing of minorities from the Rakhine State. She is looking at India’s support in this issue.
7. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, The Philippines: Came into power in 2016. He has shown keen interest in developing ties with India especially for developing the infrastructure sector.
8. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore: He has been the PM of the small but, rich south Asian nation since 2004. PMs Lee and Modi share a good chemistry and Singapore is a strong votary against China’s activities in South China Sea.
9. Prayut Co-cha, Prime Minister, Thailand: A retired Thai Army officer. Thailand has always kept cordial relations with India and is at present building the India-Myanmar-Thailand highway for further close connectivity. Though it is closer to China, it is still a valuable ally for India and a power balancer in the area.
10. Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Prime Minister, Vietnam: This the Vietnamese PM’s first visit to India. Vietnam has been a very strong ally of India and a key defence partner. Well-known for standing up to China, it wants a larger role for India to create a regional balance and to stand up against China