Ouest-France met foreigners who live in Vendée. They say what they hope for their country, which has experienced tensions in 2024. Today, Georgia.
Originally from Georgia, Mariami Otiashvili-Arnaud, 46, was already familiar with French culture before settling in Vendée in 2007. During an internship two years earlier at La Flocellière, this French teacher met the one who will become her husband. Today, the couple living in La Roche-sur-Yon have two children and Mariami Otiashvili-Arnaud has obtained French nationality. But she remains very attached to her native country. “All my family and friends live there, she explains. We go there at least once every two years, it's very important for the children and me. »
Massive fraud in the presidential election
In recent weeks, the political situation in this Caucasian country has resonated widely beyond its borders. During the spring of 2024, Georgia experienced significant protests against the adoption of a law of “fight against foreign influence”, modeled on a Russian law which allows opposition to power to be repressed. The text ended up being adopted but the presidential election organized in October relaunched the mobilization. “Georgians took to the streets to protest against massive fraud in the elections,” reports Mariami, who was in Georgia at the same time. “On TV, we saw ballot stuffing, vote buying. I myself saw criminals released from prison who were placed in front of polling stations to intimidate and threaten people. » A month later, the ruling party froze accession negotiations to the European Union. A shock for part of the population. “More than 80% of Georgians are pro-European”, Mariami notes.
His wishes for Georgia
Mariami remains hopeful that her country will experience more peaceful days. “The situation concerns me, but it also gives me hope because we see that the people are waking up, she confides. We thought that people no longer reacted to anything. But it's the opposite, they are motivated and aspire to another life, especially the youth. » She wants Georgia “be unified” and recovers its territories occupied by the Russians since 2008. She finally formulates a last wish: “that the Georgians continue to move towards the European path. »
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