The election of pro-reunification candidate Tufan Erhurman as Turkish Cypriot leader was a vote “against those who oppressed” the Cypriot people, Turkish opposition political party CHP leader Ozgur Ozel said on Thursday.

“Everyone in Cyprus who did not want their will interfered with voted. Those who treated Cyprus like a backyard, and those who assigned Cyprus the registration plate number 82 lost the election,” he told Turkish television channel Halk TV.

The “registration plate” comment comes in reference to the fact that every province in Turkey is numbered from one to 81 on vehicle registration plates, and is a colloquial way of saying that some wished for Cyprus to become a province of Turkey.

“The Cypriot people elected a president of their own free will against those who oppressed them. This is very important. No one can stand in the way of change, and the time for change has come,” he said.

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Erhurman won an unprecedented landslide victory in Sunday’s Turkish Cypriot leadership election, unseating his soon-to-be predecessor Ersin Tatar, who supported a two-state solution to the Cyprus problem, and winning a record number of votes for a Turkish Cypriot leader at a single election.

He is due to be sworn in on Friday.

In the aftermath of Erhurman’s victory on Sunday night, Ozel had released a statement making explicit reference to the Turkish government’s apparent pre-election preference for Erhurman’s election opponent and soon-to-be predecessor Ersin Tatar to win.

“The Turkish Cypriot people, in this election, have not only chosen Erhurman, but have also responded to those who interfere from the outside for their own interests, effectively staging an invasion of the island to propagate their supported side, thereby affirming the TRNC’s democracy and national will,” he said.

“I hope those in Ankara, who not only disregarded our country’s foreign policy decorum but also openly flout the law, resorting to all kinds of smear campaigns to ensure their supported candidate’s victory … have correctly understood the Turkish Cypriot people’s message.”

He added that he values “Erhurman’s calm and constructive approach in matters concerning relations with our state”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan telephoned Erhurman on Monday night congratulating him on his election victory, and had himself said on Sunday night that the election “reflected the will of our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters”.

The country’s foreign ministry congratulated Erhurman, and said that the results “reflect the free and sovereign will of the Turkish Cypriots as well as the state tradition and culture of democracy in the TRNC”.

“Turkey will continue to contribute to the efforts for the peace, prosperity, and development of the Turkish Cypriot people, within the framework of its historical, legal, and humanitarian responsibilities and in accordance with the realities of the island,” it said.

Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz is expected to attend Erhurman’s swearing-in ceremony on Friday.