There seemed to have been a major paradigm shift in the global political system. In the past, actors otherwise known as politicians are weighed by their personality and character rather than their content. Although it can be said that no one goes into politics to get rich but the rule of acceptability these days may have been supposed to be transferred to their bank accounts as the system is more and more dominated by financial heavyweights. In other words, it’s not enough to be warned to get to the top; a monstrous bank account is also essential. Which means only a few poor people make it far in politics these days.
What is really the relationship between power and money? Have you ever wondered how valuable these leaders are? Although it may seem quite strange to those who make decisions for ordinary taxpayers to command a huge fortune, the fact remains that there are still tycoons out there who pursue their political aspirations and venture into running a state or ‘a country.
Moreover, apart from the huge salary and the perks inherent in their presence in public office, most of these top executives have made other investments or come from old monies in the family. Here is a look at the 15 richest politicians of all time. from democratic leaders to monarchs for whom running a country is a family business and how much they are worth. US President Donald Trump, worth $3.1 billion, came in at number 17 and therefore did not make the list.
15 richest politicians of all time and how much they are worth
Vladimir Putin – Russia
Vladimir Putin is the first on the listthe reasons. In addition to being considered the richest politician in the world, and possibly the richest man in the world, he has successively topped the Forbes list of the most powerful man alive. Putin has been president of Russia since 2012. Before running, he was a former intelligence officer. He previously held the country’s highest political post from 2000 to 2008 and also served as Prime Minister of Russia for a year under President Yeltsin.
His net worth has often been disputed. Interestingly, Forbes reportedly did not estimate his net worth because he cannot verify his financial assets. How much it’s really worth depends on who you asked, anyway. The values provided may not be clear, but they are all in the billions. His fortune has been placed between the halls of $18 billion to $200 billion, a figure that would likely put him on top of the world’s richest men.
Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital’s management estimates that the Russian leader is the richest man in the world with a net worth of $200 billion and Celebritynetworth.com put him at $70 billion, matching the estimates by former Russian government adviser Stanislav Belkovsky in 2012.
Putin’s abundance, influence, intelligence and demeanor make him a force to be reckoned with.
Michael Bloomberg – United States
Another political powerhouse whose name resonates well with wealth is Michael Bloomberg of the United States, the founder of Bloomberg LP, a financial services, software, data and media company. He was the former mayor of New York and after several speculations about presidential and gubernatorial elections in the past, he hints at a possible presidential election in the 2020 elections under the Democratic Party, which he joined in 2018.
He founded the company in 1981 after a 15-year career at the Wall Street firm, Salomon Brothers. Bloomberg took office as New York City’s 108th mayor in 2001 and rose to national prominence during his three terms that ended in 2014. Outside of politics and business, he is a philanthropist of fame. He has made huge donations for public health, the arts, government innovation, education and environmental advocacy through his Bloomberg Philanthropies platform.
Examination of his finances revealed that he had built a fortune estimated at $47.6 billion by Forbes, making him the second richest person in the world.
Hassanal Bolkiah – Brunei
The 29th and current Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah is arguably the richest monarch in the world. He is also the first and outgoing Prime Minister of Brunei. He ascended the throne in 1967 after his father, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III, abdicated the throne on October 5 of the same year. The sultan marked the golden jubilee of his reign in 2017 and is the second longest-reigning current monarch in the world after Queen Elizabeth II. He amended Brunei’s Constitution in 2006, declaring Sultan Bolkiah infallible.
It is often said that his wealth and luxury way of life can make the rich poor in front of him. He was ranked among the wealthiest individuals in the world and in the late 1980s he topped the list of the world’s richest but was overtaken by Bill Gates in the 1990s.
With an estimated fortune of $20 billion, he is among the wealthiest politicians in the world and among the wealthiest in the world. It derives its wealth from the natural resources of oil and gas. His nation is the fifth richest in the world; it has no public debt and the people don’t even have to pay taxes.
The sultan is not only wealthy but also well-versed in the art of splurging. He has the most exotic, exquisite and expensive cars in his $5 billion collections, with 7,000 high-end cars, a gold private plane and resides in a gigantic palace known as the name of Istana Nurul Iman, which covers a floor area of 2,152,782 square meters. feet with 1,788 bedrooms and 257 bathrooms.
Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan – United Arab Emirates
Here is another monarch who redefined wealth and politics. Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the second and current President of the United Arab Emirates. He is also the hereditary ruler of Abu Dhabi, the wealthiest emirate in North America, the Emir of Abu Dhabi as well as the Supreme Commander of the Union Defense Forces. Born on September 7, 1948, Sheikh Khalifa acceded to the throne on November 2, 2004.
He belongs to the Al-Nahyan family which is among the richest monarchs in the world with a fortune of $150 billion. The emir is also chairman of the most influential sovereign wealth fund in the world, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), whose assets amount to 875 billion dollars. Additionally, he controls 97.8 billion barrels of reserves and his net worth is estimated at $19 billion.
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud – Saudi Arabia
From the House of Saud, one of the wealthiest families in the world, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud succeeded his half-brother King Abdullah after his death as King of Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on January 23, 2015. Since his ascension, he has contributed to many reforms in the country, including the Saudi intervention in the Yemeni civil war, Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 and the lifting of the ban on women driving behind the wheel in 2017.
Before becoming king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was the deputy governor of Riyadh, then the governor for 48 years (from 1963 to 2011). He was later appointed defense minister and named crown prince in 2012 following the death of his brother, Nayef bin Abdulaziz.
It is worth around $17 billion, much of it coming from Saudi Arabia’s vast oil reserves.
Serge Dassault – France
Serge Dassault inherited an aviation empire, the Dassault Aviation, from his father Marcel Dassault, a World War I aircraft propeller designer, later expanded to Dassault Groupe, which includes the media sectors , aerospace and software, auctions and real estate. The group also owns the country’s daily, Le Figaro, a wine estate, real estate in Paris and an auction house. He served as Chairman and CEO of the Dassault group until his death on May 28, 2018, at the age of 93, victim of a heart attack.
He was a conservative politician and was elected to the Paris suburb of Corbeil-Essonne in 1995 before becoming a senator in 2004. According to Forbes, his net worth was estimated at $15 billion in 2016.
Mikhail Prokhorov – Russia
Russian Michael Prokhorov made most of his fortune through investments in Russian companies active in the fields of energy, precious metals, insurance, banking and media, and became one of the main industrialists in the country.
He graduated from the Moscow Institute of Finance.and worked in the financial sector. Before entering politics in 2011, he was chairman of Russia’s largest gold producer, Polyus Gold, and chairman of the Onexim Group. He is also the owner of the NBA team, Brooklyn Nets.
Prokhorov ran in the 2012 presidential election, but lost his bid on Putin. His fortune is estimated at $9.8 billion.
Zong Qinghou – China
Chinese entrepreneur and founder of Hangzhou’s Wahaha Group, China’s largest beverage company, Zong Qinghou has had his share of success among the country’s wealthiest. Forbes named him China’s richest man in 2010, as well as China’s richest man in 2012 and the second richest man in 2013, according to Hurun Report’s China Rich List.
He started his business in 1987 in a store at a children’s school, but has grown into China’s beverage industry and hopes to expand his empire into shopping malls.
On the political front, Zong has been a delegate to the Chinese National People’s Congress since 2002. He is a strong advocate for tax cuts to support the country’s economic growth. He has an estimated fortune of $8.4 billion.
Savitri Jindal – India
India’s richest woman is also the richest female politician. With an estimated fortune of $6.1 billion, Savitri Jindal is among the richest politicians of all time. After her husband, Om Prakash Jindal, founder of the OP Jindal Group, died in a helicopter crash in 2005, she regained control of his $18 billion conglomerate, which was split between their four sons.
The New Delhi-based company deals in steel, power, cement and infrastructure. Apart from taking the reins of the company, Savitri Jindal also inherited her husband’s political constituency and became a legislator in the northern Indian state of Haryana. She also contributes to the public works that her husband started, promoting social welfare, education, health care and the environment.
Silvio Berlusconi – Italy
Beyond the Ranks of the World’s RichestSilvio Berlusconi was ranked 12th on Forbes’ 2009 list of the world’s most powerful people. The reason is no exaggeration, he has become a pillar of Italian politics since entering the political sphere in the 90s, dominating the arena for more than two decades at the head of the centre-right coalition. He is also a media mogul. He established a media group known as Fininvest in the late 1970s, as well as holdings in publishing and banking companies.
Berlusconi served as Prime Minister of Italy for nine years, including almost 19 years as a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, he became a member of the Senate in 2013. However, his tenure was marked by controversy and controversy. scandals. In 2013 Berlusconi was found guilty of tax evasion and was initially banned from running for political office until 2019, but an Italian court lifted the ban in May 2018 and ran for the European Parliament.
He was described as hot-headed and overbearing, and during his tenure he was often accused of being a strong and authoritarian man dividing public opinion and political analysts. Opinions may be divided on the Italian leader, but there is never any question of his popularity and wealth. His net worth is estimated at $6.7 billion.
Lu Guanqiu – China
Chinese billionaire Lu Guanqiu may be dead, but in his lifetime he made his mark in the business world as a great political leader.
Its success story was out of this world. He was not born into a family fortune and there is none to inherit. Born into a peasant family on January 17, 1945, he left school at the age of 15 and became a blacksmith. Diligently and steadfastly despite the hardships he faced, Lu grew into an empire turning leftovers into farm tools. He founded the Wanxiang Group, one of the largest conglomerates in the country, with over 40,000 employees. The multibillion-dollar company is a major producer of automotive systems and components with other interests in real estate, agribusiness and finance.
Lu was a delegate to the Chinese National People’s Congress. At the time of his death in October 2017, his fortune was estimated at $6.6 billion, making him one of the richest politicians of all time.
Bidzina Ivanishvili – Georgia
Bidzina Ivanishvili was ranked the richest man in Georgia in 2012 by Forbes with a net worth of $6.1 billion. What he didn’t have then was power. He therefore ventured into politics the same year by creating the Georgian party Dream-Democratic Georgia. He became prime minister in October 2012, but resigned from his government post and his party a year later, handing over the post to an ally after the party won the presidential elections. However, he returned to the position of party president in April 2018.
Before entering politics, he was already a billionaire businessman with much of his fortune made up of metals and banks in Russia before returning to Georgia in 2003 after cashing in his profits. His fortune is currently estimated at $4.6 billion.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – United Arab Emirates
His initiatives and visions for a new United Arab Emirates and one of the best countries in the world by 2021 have seen the nation face major developments and reforms. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, as well as Emir Sheikh of Dubai since 2006.
He started a number of big businesses and is responsible for Dubai’s growth into a global city. He is also a recognized rider and a recognized poet in his native Arabic. His net worth has been estimated at $4.5 billion, which ranks him among the richest politicians in the world.
Henry Ross Perot, Sr. – United States
Forbes estimated his net worth in 2019 at $4.1 billion which comes mostly from IT services and real estate. Ross Perot Sr. is best known on the American political scene as a presidential candidate in 1992 and again in 1996. After failing in both attempts, he left the scene but remained a powerful economic engine in the country. He may no longer be interested in running for office, but he is a politician nonetheless.
Tom Golisano – United States
He is the founder of Paychex Inc which offers payroll and HR services for businesses and a renowned philanthropist who has given over $300 million to support children with developmental disabilities through his B. Thomas Foundation. Golisano.
Tom Golisano was a gubernatorial candidate for New York City three times in a row (1994, 1998 and 2002) as part of the New York Independence Party, unsuccessfully at all attempts. In 2019, he had a net worth of $3.4 billion.