Bidzina Ivanishvili
Georgian billionaire and politician
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| January 2025 | UK Member of Parliament James MacClearly introduced an Early Day Motion calling for UK sanctions against Ivanishvili. |
| 2024 | Sanctioned by several European Union member states in response to political developments in Georgia. |
| 2024 | Ivanishvili became the de facto autocratic leader of Georgia by late December. |
| 2024 | Ivanishvili threatened political rivals, accusing them of provoking conflict with Russia, specifically targeting former ally Giorgi Gakharia. |
| 2024 | In an interview with pro-government channel Imedi, Ivanishvili articulated his political views, which incorporate anti-Western sentiment and populist rhetoric, just days before Georgia's critical parliamentary elections. |
| 2024 | During the interview, Ivanishvili perpetuated transphobic and homophobic myths regarding LGBTQ+ issues, referring to queer advocacy as 'LGBT propaganda' and mocking Western policies on gender inclusivity. |
| 2024 | Addressing concerns about democratic backsliding, Ivanishvili dismissed allegations of growing authoritarianism and claimed Georgia had a 'genuine democracy' despite reports of media challenges. |
| 2024 | Ivanishvili introduced the term 'global war party' in the same interview, accusing certain Western bureaucrats of collaborating with Georgia's opposition to destabilize the country. |
| 2024 | Ivanishvili justified the continued rule of his party, Georgian Dream, by framing it as necessary during the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which he described as creating 'exceptional circumstances'. |
| 2024 | Following the 2024 Georgian post-election protests and political violence, Bidzina Ivanishvili was sanctioned by the United States and added to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List. |
| 2023 | Ivanishvili was involved in a legal battle with Credit Suisse over a fraudulent scheme linked to banker Patrice Lescaudron, with a Singapore court ordering the bank to pay $742.7 million in damages. |
| 2023 | In 2023, Forbes estimated Ivanishvili's fortune at $4.9 billion and ranked him as the world's 544th richest person. |
| December 30 2023 | Bidzina Ivanishvili announced his return to Georgian politics and was elected as the honorary chairman by Georgian Dream. |
| December 14 2022 | The European Parliament called for sanctions against Ivanishvili again, accusing him of harming Georgia's democratic political process and supporting Russia. |
| June 9 2022 | The European Parliament issued a resolution accusing the Georgian government and Ivanishvili of eroding press freedom and recommended personal sanctions against Ivanishvili. |
| April 2022 | Two recordings allegedly of a call between Ivanishvili and Russian oligarch Vladimir Yevtushenkov regarding business dealings during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine were uploaded on YouTube. |
| 2021 | Formally leaves political positions again. |
| 2021 | Formally leaves his position as party chairman. |
| June 7 2021 | In his first letter after leaving politics, Ivanishvili criticized former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia for his resignation and described it as an act of treason. |
| January 11 2021 | Ivanishvili officially resigned as Chairman of Georgian Dream, stating he had accomplished his political goals. |
| 2020 | The Dendrological Park, built by Bidzina Ivanishvili, was officially opened to the public. |
| December 31 2020 | Bidzina Ivanishvili was awarded the title of Knight of France's Legion of Honour. |
| June 24 2019 | Bidzina Ivanishvili announced a change to the electoral system from mixed to fully proportional representation for the upcoming 2020 elections in response to protester demands. |
| June 20 2019 | Protests erupted in Tbilisi over Russian MP Sergei Gavrilov's visit, leading to violent clashes between police and protesters. |
| November 5 2018 | Ivanishvili addressed the public ahead of the presidential election runoff, warning against voting for opposition candidate Grigol Vashadze and promising improvements in the country's situation. |
| April 26 2018 | Bidzina Ivanishvili was re-elected as chairman of Georgian Dream, marking his return to politics. |
| 2016 | Bidzina Ivanishvili began building the Dendrological Park in Shekvetili on Georgia's Black Sea coast, which would later open to the public in 2020. |
| March 2016 | Ivanishvili uprooted and relocated a 100-year-old tulip tree, weighing 650 tonnes, from Georgia's Adjara region to the Shekvetili Dendrological Park, attracting international controversy. |
| 2013 | The EU and Georgia concluded negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), enhancing their economic ties. |
| November 2013 | Steps down as Prime Minister, claiming to leave political life, though continues to exert significant behind-the-scenes influence. |
| November 24 2013 | Ivanishvili resigned as Chairman of Georgian Dream, four days after stepping down as Prime Minister. |
| November 20 2013 | Bidzina Ivanishvili resigned as Prime Minister of Georgia after just over a year in office, following the victory of Giorgi Margvelashvili in the presidential election. |
| November 15 2013 | The first progress report on the implementation of the EU's Visa Liberalisation Action Plan concluded that Georgia had made very good progress. |
| November 2 2013 | Bidzina Ivanishvili announced Interior Minister Irakli Garibashvili as his successor before his resignation as Prime Minister. |
| July 2013 | The Universal Healthcare Program was expanded to cover additional health services including primary health care, urgent outpatient assistance, and treatment for oncological diseases. |
| June 2013 | Russia lifted the embargo on Georgian wine, allowing Georgia to resume wine exports to Russia for the first time since 2006. |
| June 2013 | The Georgian parliament adopted a new Labour Code that aligned with International Labour Organization (ILO) standards. |
| April 2013 | The Ivanishvili government ended the practice of cumulative sentencing as part of broader prison reform initiatives. |
| February 2013 | The Georgian government, under Ivanishvili, introduced the Universal Healthcare Program (UHP), which provided comprehensive healthcare services to citizens. |
| February 2013 | The European Union formally handed over a Visa Liberalisation Action Plan (VLAP) to Georgia, signaling progress in their relationship. |
| January 2013 | Georgia and Turkey signed a cross-border agreement on electricity trade, facilitating new interconnections between the two countries. |
| 2012 | Following the parliamentary election victory, widespread celebrations took place in Tbilisi in support of the Georgian Dream coalition. |
| 2012 | Bidzina Ivanishvili founded the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party and successfully led it to victory in the 2012 Georgian parliamentary election against the United National Movement party. |
| December 2012 | Russian and Georgian representatives held their first two-way discussions in Prague since the 2008 war, marking a significant step in foreign relations under Ivanishvili's government. |
| November 2012 | Bidzina Ivanishvili chose Brussels as the destination for his first foreign visit as Prime Minister. |
| October 2012 | Bidzina Ivanishvili met with then President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, where they expressed concurring opinions about foreign policy issues, emphasizing support for Georgia's membership in the European Union and NATO. |
| October 2012 | President Saakashvili restored Ivanishvili's Georgian citizenship in October under a special legal provision. |
| October 25 2012 | Bidzina Ivanishvili officially took office as Prime Minister of Georgia, marking the first peaceful transition of power in the country's modern history. |
| September 2012 | Mass protests erupted in Georgia following the release of video footage that showed abuse and torture of prisoners in Gldani prison, prompting the new government to acknowledge serious issues in the prison system. |
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