Choosing India’s Republic Day chief guests is a well-thought task. Know how it is done!

The two-year pandemic, alongside all the woes of mankind in general, has also made the Republic Day spectators in India wait for a long time. Finally, people are excited to see the Republic Day Celebration in the upcoming year 2023. This time, the president of Egypt Abdeh Fatah al-Sisi will be the Chief guest in India. 

Wondering how are chief guests selected for the Republic Day celebration in India? Is it just by fluke or is there a proper procedure to decide on the chief guests? Let’s understand here.

al-Sisi: A brief introduction!

Abdeh Fatah al-Sisi, former Egypt's military chief and defense minister and present-day president of Egypt is the Chief Guest for the Indian Republic Day parade in 2023.

After al-Sisi took control from Md Morsi post a coup in the year 2013, he won a subsequent election in the year 2014 on an economic development plank.

The man’s presidency has received both good and bad responses from critics. The causes of concern the critics raise are our present-day economic distress, the violent fight of opposition voices, and more.

The Republic Day parade of January 2023 would be special in the sense that it will be the first time ever in Indian history to have an Egyptian leader as the chief guest on republic day.  

What is the big deal about becoming a Chief Guest on India’s Republic Day? Why is it a matter of supreme honor?

Let’s talk straight about the protocol. Making someone a chief guest on the country’s Republic day is the highest honor that India confers to a guest.

The Chief Guest plays a major role in the celebrations. S/he is the front and center in a myriad of ceremonial activities. At the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the chief guest(s) are given the ceremonial guard of honor. Moreover, the President of India also hosts a reception for the Chief Guest in the evening.

Additionally, the Chief Guests also lay a wreath at Rajghat, a step to honor Mahatma Gandhi.

Not only this, there is a huge banquet in the honor of the Chief Guests, along with a grand lunch hosted by the Hon'ble Prime Minister, followed by calls by the External Affairs Minister and the Vice President.

Manbir Singh, the man behind these protocols, who formerly served as Chief of Protocol between the years 1999 and 2002 stated that the arrival of the Chief Guest is full of symbolism. 

“it portrays the Chief Guest as participating in India’s pride and happiness, and reflects the friendship between the two peoples represented by the President of India and the Chief Guest”, said the former Indian Foreign Service officer and Chief of Protocol.

The symbolism that Mr. Manbir Singh is talking about becoming a robust tool to foster and rejuvenate ties between India and the nation of the invitee, which further has a great diplomatic and political significance.

Republic Day guests in India so far

This would be exciting to know. Here is the list of all the Chief Guest India has invited to its Republic Day celebrations so far.

Finally, how is the chief guest selected?

The selection of the Chief Guest is not an easy task. The process of choosing the right chief guest for the Republic Day Parade in India commences around six months in advance of the main event. Ambassador Manbir Singh states that all sorts of considerations are considered by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in order to select the right chief guest for the event.

One of the most important considerations is the kind of relationship between India and the country concerned. An invitation to be the Chief Guest of the Republic Day parade is a strong symbol of friendly ties between India and the country to which the invitee belongs.

What else drive’s India’s decision to choose the chief guests of the event? The commercial, political, economic, and military interests of India are major drivers of the decision. The Ministry of External Affairs attempts to make optimum use of the occasion to foster ties between India and the country of the invitee.

Additionally, the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that commenced in the later part of the decade of the 1950s and early 1960s also plays a significant role here. The Non-Aligned Movement was an international political movement of the freshly decolonized countries to not get involved in the Cold War and prevent further loss while helping each other in their nation-building.

The very first chief guest of the Parade in the year 1950 was President Sukarno of Indonesia. The choice of President Sukarno was not a stroke of luck. The man was one of the five founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement. The other founding members include Nkrumah (Ghana), Nehru (India), Nasser (Egypt)., and Tito (Yugoslavia).