Ivanishvili sponsored the presidential campaign of Alexander Lebed in an attempt to pull votes from the Communist candidate Gennady Zyuganov, who was Yeltsin's main opponent.

[26] According to Raphaël Glucksmann, Mikheil Saakashvili's French adviser, Ivanishvili supported the Rose Revolution and financed the reforms enacted by the government afterwards.

[29] On 7 October 2011, Ivanishvili announced his intention to lead the opposition in the 2012 Georgian parliamentary election in a written statement, citing the perceived authoritarianism of President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili.

Georgian Dream's 12-point manifesto included among other policies, the development of liberal democracy, deepening integration with the European Union and NATO, and improvement of education and healthcare infrastructure.

The main goals of Georgian Dream were stated to be a revival of agriculture, lowering taxes on the poor, universal health insurance, normalization of relations with Russia and strengthening Georgia's ties to the EU and NATO.

The State Audit Service said that this constituted an illegal donation Ivanishvili had made through his companies in violation of the party funding rules and requested the court to fine him.

The Court rejected the defence's applications to call and cross examine the witnesses whose testimony was relied on to establish ownership of Cartu Bank.

More than 20 000 complaints were filed by citizens and inmates with the Prosecutor's Office in connection to injustices of past administration, including 4 000 cases of alleged torture or ill-treatment.

Former Prime Minister Vano Merabishvili, governor of Kakheti Zurab Tchiaberashvili and Head of Penitentiary Department Bacho Akhalaia were among the ones who were arrested.

[58] His successor Irakli Garibashvili has thanked Ivanishvili for creating "unique precedent" by leaving all political positions "at the zenith of popularity and influence".

"[64] Environmental activist Nata Peradze lambasted the move, saying, "There are only a few dozen tulip trees in Georgia and this majestic 135-year-old specimen has zero chances of surviving replanting,"[65] while opposition television presenter Tamara Chergoleishvili mocked his interests in exotic flora and fauna by joking, "If he gets fanatically obsessed about gigantic mountains, then it will become a real headache for his people.

This opened a window of opportunity for the United National Movement as Salome Zourabichvili failed to secure enough votes to win the election in the first round.

He said that the people's dissatisfaction was understandable, although it would be a mistake to elect the opposition candidate Grigol Vashadze, who announced that he would pardon Bachana Akhalaia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and others "charged with torture and abuse".

The ruling party members, including Bidizna Ivanishvili, have claimed that Sergei Gavrilov arbitrarily sat in the Georgian parliament's speaker's chair, in violation of the protocol.

On 24 June 2019, Bidzina Ivanishvili addressed the public, announcing a change to the electoral system from a mixed to fully proportional representation for the 2020 elections and lowering of the vote barrier for parties, in line with demands of protesters.

After the ruling party and opposition held several rounds of talks, the consensus was reached over a mixed electoral system with a more proportional distribution of mandates.

On 25 April 2022, two recordings were uploaded on YouTube by a channel under the name of Cyber Kmara, purportedly of a call between Ivanishvili and Vladimir Yevtushenkov about possible business dealings amidst the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[78] Davyd Arakhamia, leader of the Ukrainian political party Servant of the People, urged EU and US leadership to consider imposing personal sanctions on Ivanishvili.

In a speech posted online by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, Ivanishvili cited the "complicated" geopolitical situation and criticized the opposition for its perceived failure in holding the government accountable as reasons for his comeback.

[91] According to Ivanishvili, it is important for Georgia's accession to the European Union and NATO to convince Russia that this process will not create any existential threats to Moscow.

He introduced the term “global war party” to describe these alleged actors, a rebranding of the “deep state” conspiracy theory often used to undermine trust in democratic institutions.

In the interview, Ivanishvili addressed concerns about democratic backsliding, dismissing allegations of growing authoritarianism despite mounting evidence, including Georgia’s significant drop in press freedom rankings.

[96] He cited a “fairly positive” interim report by the OSCE to defend his government’s record while ignoring its critical findings on low public trust, voter intimidation, and misuse of administrative resources.

His claim that Georgia had a “genuine democracy” due to the presence of multiple TV stations contradicted reports highlighting the challenges faced by the media, including smear campaigns, physical threats, and restrictive legislation.

Referring to queer advocacy as “LGBT propaganda,” he claimed to have evidence of its harmful effects, citing baseless examples such as pride events in Barcelona involving “orgies” and children.

He further alleged that Western countries were forcing parents to provide gender-reassignment surgeries for their children, punishing teachers for acknowledging biological sex, and introducing policies like placing sanitary pads in men’s bathrooms.

Throughout the interview, Ivanishvili attempted to justify Georgian Dream’s prolonged grip on power by framing it as a necessity during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Describing the war as a transformative event, he claimed it had created “exceptional circumstances” that required his government’s leadership, dismissing criticisms of his rule as either exaggerated or fabricated by the opposition.

[102] In March 2012, Ivanishvili was ranked at number 153 in Forbes magazine's annual list of the world's billionaires with an estimated worth of $6.4 billion, making him Georgia's richest person.

Amidst the 2012 parliamentary election, his animal collection attracted attention, with a headline from The New Republic being titled, "Georgia’s Next Leader May Be a Billionaire Zookeeper with Albino Rapper Children.