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kingmaker:

(plural: ‘kingmakers‘)

Richard Neville, 16th century Earl of Warwick, England

a person who has great power, control and influence over a large group of people and uses his/her power to make another person of his/her own choice the king of a country or the leader of a political party or even the chief of an organisation (though the ‘king maker’ has the power to become the king him/her self, he/she does not like to take up the position for different reasons)

Sonia Gandhi, the kingmaker in Indian politics

{Some ‘kingmakers’ of the past include Richard Neville in England, (the term ‘kingmaker’ is believed to have originated as his nickname), and Nogei Khan in Russian-Mongol politics. Some of the modern ‘kingmakers’ in present world politics are: Dick Norris in making Bill Clinton the president, USA; Sonia Gandhi in Indian politics; Kakuei Tanaka in Japanese politics; and Graham Richardson in Australian politics.}

Kakuei Tanaka, the kingmaker in Japanese politics

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