Politicians Rank High on “Forbes” Billionaires List
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ABC/Donna Svennevik(NEW YORK) — Some say that there is a lot of money in politics. Well, according to the Forbes 2013 Billionaires List, there are many politicians who have a lot of money too.
Here are the politicians topping Forbes‘ list:
Michael Bloomberg
The richest politician to grace the list this year is New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is ranked as the seventh richest person in the United States.
Bloomberg, 71, is sitting pretty with a net worth of more than $27 billion, making himself the 13th richest person in the world and the world’s richest politician. Bloomberg, who has run New York City since 2002, has diversified his money in many different spheres of politics, media and philanthropy.
Ross Perot, Sr.
Another American politician on Forbes‘ Billionaire List is two-time presidential candidate Ross Perot. Perot was a presidential contender and is now the 126th richest person in the United States with a net worth of more than $3.5 billion.
The United States leads the Forbes list with 442 billionaires, but it is not the only country with politicians worth a pretty penny.
Russia’s Mikhail Prokhorov and Andrei Guriev
Billionaire and Russian politician Mikhail Prokhorov made the top 100 cut on Forbes‘ list ranking number 69 with a net worth of more than $13 billion, making him the 10th richest person in Russia. The 47-year-old politician who ran against Russian President Vladimir Putin in the 2012 presidential election is also a sports enthusiast who owns the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
Russia is home to another very wealthy politician. Andrei Guriev, who has served as senator to Federation Council in Russia since 2001, is worth more than $3.5 billion. The bulk of his wealth comes from his control over Fosagro, one of the world’s four biggest phosphor fertilizer producers.
Georgia’s Bidzina Ivanishvili
Georgia also has a very wealthy politician — so wealthy, in fact his net worth is equal to half of the country’s GDP. Bidzina Ivanishvili successfully won his campaign in October 2012 and now serves as prime minister as well as the richest man in the Eurasian country. He’s ranked number 229 in the world on the Forbes list and is worth $5.2 billion.
Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi resigned from his position as the Italian prime minister after scandals and gaffes surrounding his time in office. But Berlusconi can have the last laugh as he placed number 194 on the Forbes list with a net worth of $6.2 billion.
The 76-year old was sentenced to four years in jail for tax fraud and was accused of engaging in sexual relations with 17-year-old Moroccan girl during his term but Berlusconi remains the seventh wealthiest individual in Italy.
Political Donors
Aside from politicians there are hoards of political donors on the Forbes‘ Billionaire List. The top 10 wealthiest people alone include Warren Buffett and the Koch Brothers, who are avid political supporters.
According to Mother Jones, Koch Industries and its affiliates Georgia-Pacific and Flint Hills Resources donated more than $2.2 million to candidates and parties during this the 2012 election cycle. Some 95 percent of its corporate donations in the past two years have gone to Republicans.
Warren Buffett on the other hand is generous Democratic supporter, having contributed to President Barack Obama’s campaign. Buffett was also the influence for a proposal to make sure that millionaires pay at least the same tax rate as those in lower brackets, a proposal that the president has referred to as the “Buffett Rule.”
The three donors are collectively worth more than $121 billion.
This year’s Forbes Billionaire’s list has 1,426 names with an aggregate net worth of $5.4 trillion. This figure has risen from last year’s $4.6 trillion.
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