Uzbek president Karimov sworn in

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The President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, has been sworn in for a third term in office following elections held in December last year.

Mr Karimov received 88.1% of the vote in an election where he faced no serious opposition and where the media was under state control.

He has already spent the maximum two terms in office and he gave no reason as to why he was able to run again.

Mr Karimov, 69, has ruled Uzbekistan since before independence in 1990.

In a brief speech at his inauguration, Mr Karimov promised to respect democracy and international standards.

He said he wanted to assure the country that the elections were held "in strict accordance with laws and the constitution".

Mr Karimov ran against three largely unknown opponents in the election, all of whom praised his handling of the country.

Critics said they were only token opponents, designed to give an appearance of genuine choice.

They accuse Mr Karimov of oppressive leadership and sanctioning human rights abuses.