Georgian billionaire ex-PM Ivanishvili returns to politics before election

FILE PHOTO: Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia's former prime minister, stands at a polling station during a municipal election in Tbilisi, Georgia, October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Irakli Gedenidze/File Photo

TBILISI (Reuters) - Former Georgian prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire widely held to wield huge political influence, said on Saturday he was returning to frontline politics after two years, ahead of parliamentary elections in 2024.

According to a speech posted online by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, Ivanishvili said he was coming back because of the "complicated" geopolitical situation and what he said was the opposition's failure to hold the government to account.