Claim: Islam Karimov was the longest-running president of Uzbekistan who served for 25 years and one day.
Evidence: He was the President of the Uzbek SSR from 24 March 1990 until he declared the independence of Uzbekistan on 1 September 1991. He died on 2 September 2016, after being president of the country for over 25 years. He declared Uzbekistan an independent nation on 31 August 1991 and subsequently won its first presidential election on 29 December 1991, with 86% of the vote.