Indonesian President Subianto likely to be Republic Day chief guest: Report

Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto is likely to attend the upcoming Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest, a media report said citing sources. An official confirmation on this, however, is awaited.

Subianto, the 73-year-old former army general, took over as the President of Indonesia in October 2024. During the visit, the President is expected to hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PTI news agency quoted the sources as saying.

In June last year, the Prime Minister received a call from Subianto during which the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen a comprehensive strategic partnership between India and Indonesia. “Delighted to receive a phone call from President-elect Prabowo Subianto. Wished him success for his upcoming presidency,” PM Modi tweeted at the time.

In 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron was the Republic Day chief guest, while Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi attended the event in 2023. There was no chief guest for Republic Day in 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Before that, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro graced the celebrations in 2020, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa participated in 2019.

The 2018 Republic Day parade featured leaders from all 10 ASEAN nations. In 2017, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, attended the event. Former French President Francois Hollande and then US President Barack Obama served as Chief Guests in 2016 and 2015, respectively.