When Georgia's richest man first burst into politics 12 years ago, he vowed to "astonish Europe" with the democracy he would bring to the Black Sea nation. But Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Tbilisi's ruling party, has done what many critics say is the opposite: led the country into international isolation while curbing the power of his political opponents. This month, the European Parliament called for sanctions against the powerful tycoon, accusing him of "undermining democracy" with the aim of pulling Georgia away from the West towards Russia's orbit.
As the Caucasus nation gears up for crunch parliamentary elections Saturday, all eyes will be on what the reclusive 68-year-old oligarch does if his Georgian Dream party, in power since 2012, wins again. 'Absolute power' Born into poverty in the village of Chorvila in western Georgia, Ivanishvili made his fortune in Russia during the cutthroat 1990s, amassing huge wealth as state-owned Soviet assets were privatised. He is now worth $4.
9 billion, according to Forbes magazine -- just under a sixth of Georgia's GDP -- and holds dual Georgian and French citizenship. In 2012, he became Georgia's prime minister after founding his own political party, serving for just over a year before officially retiring from politics. In 2023, he returned to become Georgian Dream's honorary chairman, assuming the role of a kingmaker who nominates prime ministers from among his loyal lieutenants.
After initially pursuing a liberal.