Republic Day 2026 Chief Guest: The 77th Republic Day parade will take place at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi, near the India Gate on Monday, January 26, 2026.
Presided over by President Droupadi Murmu, India will welcome Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen as the Republic Day 2026 Chief Guests, also representing the 16th India-EU Summit.
Co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their visit will coincide with the diplomatic summit, scheduled in the capital for January 27.
Who are the Republic Day Chief Guests?
Drawing global attention, India will host the President of the European Council, António Luís Santos da Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, from January 25 to 27. Jointly serving at the Republic Day 2026 Chief Guests, they follow Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade in 2025.
Who is António Costa?
António Costa has been in office as the European Council President since December 1, 2024. He facilitates decisions among 27 European Union leaders. He hails from Lisbon in Portugal. António Costa was born on July 17, 1961. He has Indian ancestral connections because his great-grandfather hails from the Indian state of Goa.
A lawyer by professional training, he had a tenure as the Prime Minister of Portugal between 2015 and 2024, thus making him the longest-serving Iberian government leader of the 21st century. Before this position, he had also served in the same role as the Mayor of Lisbon between 2007 and 2014. He stepped down in 2023 in an investigation into lithium affairs, yet no charges were pressed against him; he had already clinched a landslide in the snap elections of 2022.
The president of the European Council has expressed his support for Ukraine and advocated diplomatic efforts in Syria by meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa in March 2025.
Who is Ursula von der Leyen?
She has been holding the position of President of the European Commission since 2019; she was re-elected for her second term of office, spanning 2024 to 2029. Born on October 8, 1958, in Brussels to a Turkish-German family of mixed heritage, Ursula von der Leyen is a medical doctor by professional qualification. She is also a mother of seven children; before venturing into politics, she pursued a career in medicine. She ended up holding important positions in her home country of Germany as the family affairs labour minister as well as the defence minister between 2013 and 2019.India-EU FTA: ‘Not alignment by pressure, but cooperation by choice, says EU chief Ursula von der LeyenShe has been holding the position of President of the European Commission since 2019; she was re-elected for her second term of office, spanning 2024 to 2029. Born on October 8, 1958, in Brussels to a Turkish-German family of mixed heritage, Ursula von der Leyen is a medical doctor by professional qualification. She is also a mother of seven children; before venturing into politics, she pursued a career in medicine. She ended up holding important positions in her home country of Germany as the family affairs labour minister as well as the defence minister between 2013 and 2019.
As Commission president, she was heavily involved in helping steer the European Union through the crisis brought about by the novel COVID-19 pandemic. She helped to establish a €750bn recovery fund and imposed sanctions on Russia after the war in Ukraine. Her main priorities still revolve around the Green Deal, the quest to enhance the competitiveness of Europe and Ukraine, and resolving the current United States tariff issues scheduled to take effect in 2025.