Bidzina Ivanishvili: Georgia's billionaire prime minister

Little-known billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili surprised many by beating Georgia's president, Mikheil Saakashvili at the polls. But just what has Georgia voted for?

Whatever you think of Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire who has just swept to a shock electoral victory in Georgia, he's certainly got a sense of humour, says The Economist. "Do you know Gilbert and George?" he asked, posing for photographers in front of a large picture by the London artists during his election campaign. One of the slogans on the picture read: "Say Fuck Off to Rich Bastards".

There's no question that Ivanishvili is rich. According to Forbes, he's worth $6.4bn, or just under half of Georgia's GDP. But until last October, when he formed his Georgian Dream coalition, few in the country had even heard of "this most secretive and reclusive of the oligarchs to rise from the ashes of the Soviet Union", says The Independent.

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