The ceremony will be modest and will pass in the presence of foreign ambassadors accredited in Tashkent, a source close to diplomatic circles told Itar-Tass.

Two days ago Karimov thanked his voters for their trust and warm greetings. According to the Central Electoral Commission of Uzbekistan, 88.1% of voters cast their ballots for Karimov at the presidential elections on December 23, 2007. The turnout was 90.6 .

International observers were divided over the polls in Uzbekistan. The CIS mission recognized them as "free, open and transparent" while OSCE observers say the presidential elections in Uzbekistan had been held in conditions of tough control over political media leaving no room for the opposition.

Islam Karimov has been in power since 1989 when he became the first secretary of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan.

In March 1990, a session of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic elects Karimov to the post of president of Uzbekistan.

In December 1991, Karimov was elected the head of independnent Uzbekistan as a result of the general elections held on an alternative basis. A 1995 referendum extended Karimov’s presidential term for another five years.

In 2000, Karimov was re-elected as president for a five-year term on an alternative basis. In 2002, the country held a referendum on the Constitution that increased the presidential term from five to seven years. That allowed Karimov to rule until 2007.

The Uzbek Central Electoral Commission registered Karimov as a presidential candidate on grounds that he would run for a seven-year term for the first time in compliance with a new edition of the Constitution adopted in January 2002.