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CARACAS - A Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives on Monday criticized President Hugo Chavez for undermining the regional elections held in Venezuela over the weekend.

Despite the few victories secured by Venezuela’s opposition in Sunday’s regional elections, “Chavez and his cronies have proven they will stop at nothing to ensure they win elections using intimidation, manipulation and threats,” Rep. Connie Mack, R-Fla., said in a statement.

Venezuelan government officials couldn’t immediately be reached for a response to Mack’s statement.

Mack said that Chavez took steps to keep credible opponents out of some races and threatened others with jail time. Indeed, Chavez and his administration successfully managed to derail the candidacy of Leopoldo Lopez, a popular mayor, for the capital city’s top municipal job.

The city’s comptroller barred Lopez from the race, citing mismanagement in a controversial case that dated back several years. Lopez was favored to win but voters still chose his replacement instead of the pro-Chavez alternative.

In another notable case, Chavez threatened Manuel Rosales, the former governor of the oil-rich Zulia state, with jail time, accusing him of corruption. Nonetheless, Rosales managed to win the seat as mayor of Maracaibo, the country’s second most important city.

Despite a heated electoral contest, Chavez appeared conciliatory early Monday morning after the electoral authority announced the opposition’s wins. Pro-Chavez politicians still managed to win 17 state governments out of 22. Chavez’s allies are also expected to keep control of a large majority of the country’s municipalities.

“Who can possibly say there’s a dictatorship in Venezuela?” Chavez asked in televised remarks.

Mack warned in his statement that the Venezuelan president will seek to remain in power as long as he can, and so the U.S. and its allies must “keep a watchful eye on Hugo Chavez.”