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Wealthy Tycoon in Georgia Reprises Leadership Role

Billionaire Tycoon's Rollercoaster Politics in Georgia: The country's powerful business leader continues the cycle of entering and leaving politics, leaving Georgian politics in a recurring loop.

Gaunt Tycoon of Georgia: Gauntlet of Political Resignations and Re-entries in Georgia as the...
Gaunt Tycoon of Georgia: Gauntlet of Political Resignations and Re-entries in Georgia as the Country's Billionaire Powerbroker Persistently Exits and Re-enters Politics.

Wealthy Tycoon in Georgia Reprises Leadership Role

The ghostly figure of Bidzina Ivanishvili, more renowned than Old Man Winter, didn't slide down chimneys with gifts but came forth into Tbilisi's glaring light to claim power once again. This latest stroll can be termed the Third Wander in the enigmatic character's quinquennial journey, a cycle when he leaves his ivory tower palace on the hill to make a political statement and vanish shortly afterward.

The First Wander took place in 2012, when the public-shy Ivanishvili decided to bellyflop into the political arena, shaking up President Mikheil Saakashvili's party by installing his Georgian Dream party in power. In 2013, he waved goodbye to his prime minister and party chairman roles, stating that politics wasn't his thing and trusting the nation to safe hands. From 2013 to 2018, Ivanishvili pulled strings from behind the scenes, but during his Second Wander, he surfaced to douse infighting within the Georgian Dream-led coalition and boost support for his preferred presidential candidate. After achieving his goals, he once again declared his departure from the political stage.

"I'm stepping down as the party's chairman and leaving the party," he wrote in his goodbye opus, holding his head high and expressing gratitude to the people as he left the realm of politics. However, in a twist of fate, the billionaire stuck around as the nation's softly-lit puppet master until the end of last year.

At a hastily assembled Georgian Dream convention on December 30, Ivanishvili revealed that circumstances pushed him to return to the political fray. "I was forced to make the tough decision to return to politics," he announced, outlining multiple challenges facing the nation that required his attention. In a sense, he upgraded from a shadow ruler to a semi-shadow ruler.

Formally, Ivanishvili showed up in the position of honorary chairman of Georgian Dream. But make no mistake, he clarified that he wasn't back as a mere retiree but rather as the party's CEO, reminding raucous supporters that he was still the boss and that the ruling establishment hinged on him.

A week and a half later, he established his power to nominate the prime minister's candidate as his prerogative, effectively making himself the prime maker. Gia Khukhashvili, a former advisor-turned-critic of the billionaire, told Formula TV that Ivanishvili aimed to be the prime minister's prime minister and Georgian Dream chairman's chairman.

But why did Ivanishvili, who dislikes public life, socializing, and being in the spotlight, make yet another appearance? Some assumed his goal was to give his party a boost leading up to parliamentary polls due in the fall, but others suggested there was no polling-based logic for his return considering his declining popularity.

Some analysts proposed that Ivanishvili's re-emergence was driven by international concerns. Perhaps he wanted to assuage fears over corruption, poverty, and emigration within the country, or addresses ongoing tensions with the EU and alleged Russian influence. Others, however, speculated that Ivanishvili planned to appease the EU by showing that he was taking steps toward de-oligarchizing the nation.

In the end, Ivanishvili might be willing to walk a tightrope between political maneuverings, appearances, and public demands until domestic or foreign threats to his position are overcome – or until the next unexpected wander into the spotlight comes along.

  1. Some analysts propose that Ivanishvili's re-emergence into politics could be driven by international concerns, such as addressing ongoing tensions with the EU, allegations of Russian influence, or assuaging fears over corruption, poverty, and emigration within the country.
  2. By reclaiming his position as honorary chairman of Georgian Dream and exercising his prerogative to nominate the prime minister's candidate, Ivanishvili effectively positions himself as the 'prime maker', a title that reflects his continued influence over policy-and-legislation and politics in Georgia.
  3. Throughout his political career, Ivanishvili's participation in the political scene often coincides with crucial moments in news cycles, as he returns to make political statements and shape policy during times of turmoil or uncertainty, making his latest 'Third Wander' a significant event in the general-news landscape of Georgia.

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