Zambians scheduled to go to the polls in two months time for the 11th time since independence in 1964, the main players are locked in an argument over a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) proposal reports Southern Times Africa

President Rupiah Banda has warned that anyone undertaking a PVT will liable to be prosecuted but his opponents claim it will provide a measure of the credibility of the elections.

President Banda has said only the Electoral Commission of Zambia has the legal mandate to tabulate the vote outcome.

Electoral Commission of Zambia director Priscilla Isaac has also said a PVT could have dubious results that can be easily manipulated and cause chaos.

A PVT has been carried out in previous polls (1991, 1996, 2001, 2006), including in the 2008 by-election that swept President Banda into office following Levy Mwanawasa's death.

Critics of the PVT say its proponents - the Finish and American governments – have their own interests and cannot be trusted to be credible.