The FINANCIAL -- Brussels urged both the government of Georgia and the opposition on Monday to ease tensions ahead of elections just a month away. 

In a statement on the upcoming October 1 parliamentary vote, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele called on "both the government and the opposition to continue to ensure a peaceful, enabling and competitive electoral environment."

Stressing that Georgia remained a key partner for the European Union, the two said "we are concerned about the growing polarisation and tension in this context -- elections should be first of all about political programmes and ideas".

The vote will pit President Mikheil Saakashvili 's governing party against the Georgian Dream coalition headed by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the country's wealthiest man.

As EUbusiness reported, tensions rose last month after a court fined Ivanishvili $12.3 million for an allegedly suspect cash withdrawal. He had already been fined millions of dollars for breaking electoral law and was stripped of his passport for violating citizenship laws after announcing his challenge to Saakashvili .

The billionaire's push for power has revitalised the opposition, setting the stage for the fiercest electoral showdown since the pro-Western Saakashvili came to office in 2004 in the wake of the Rose Revolution.

"We emphasise the EU's high expectations for Georgia's parliamentary elections," Ashton and Fuele said.

"These elections will be crucial in terms of the continued democratic development of Georgia and will set the stage for the quality and intensity of our relations in the future."

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