( CNN ) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad 's sister lost her bid for a seat in the nation 's parliamentary elections , a result seen as a blow to the controversial leader and , according to one analyst , a `` possible sign of fraud . '' Parvin Ahmadinejad , running in her family 's hometown of Garmsar , was defeated by a conservative rival in Friday 's elections for the Majlis , Iran 's parliament , the country 's news outlets said Saturday . More than 64 percent of eligible voters streamed to the polls in large numbers , and election officials praised the exercise , in which about 3,400 candidates vied for Majlis seats . It 's first time Iranians are voting since allegations of rigging in the 2009 elections triggered mass street protests against President Ahmadinejad 's re-election . Many observers say the underlying issue of the election is whether voters back the president , who has been in a rivalry with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei . Khamenei publicly supported Ahmadinejad 's controversial re-election victory during the dispute over the 2009 ballot results . But tensions have flared between the two leaders over the past year , with Ahmadinejad disappearing from public view for 11 days after the supreme leader overruled his decision to fire an intelligence minister . Several of Ahmadinejad 's top political allies have also been subjected to lawsuits and investigations . But in the run-up to this week 's vote , the supreme leader urged factions to overcome previous divisions and repeatedly called for unity . The current Majlis speaker , Ali Larijani , and Alaeddin Boroujerdi , the current chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee , were re-elected , state media said . Conservatives backing Khamenei or with links to him performed well in the race . One candidate , Gholam Ali Haddad Adel , was overwhelmingly leading his race . His daughter is married to Khamenei 's son . But one observer suggested the defeat of the president 's sister could be a sign of political fraud . `` In Iran , locals are usually fiercely loyal to high ranking representatives from their area , even if they are unpopular at national level , '' said Meir Javedanfar , an Israeli-Iranian Middle East analyst . `` Although Ahmadinejad is not a popular politician , the very fact that his sister was defeated in Garmsar is a valid possible sign of fraud . This is likely to lead to even more infighting . '' Solat Mortazavi , the deputy Interior minister overseeing the elections , praised the polling . `` These have been the most lawful elections , '' he said . `` The elections were conducted in the best possible way . '' Mortazavi said it was the first time Iran successfully used computerized voting systems in some polling stations . Final results might be released in a matter of days . He said flooding delayed the retrieval of ballot boxes from remote communities . During the post-election crackdown three years ago , security forces used deadly force to crack down on the opposition Green Movement and presidential candidates Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi were placed under house arrest , where they remain . There were no candidates from the Green Movement in this year 's parliamentary election . Iranian political analysts describe the vote as a contest between rival conservative factions within the government . The predominantly Shiite nation faces an escalating international outcry and Western sanctions over its nuclear program , prompting leaders to call for a higher voter turnout to establish legitimacy .
The president 's sister was defeated by a conservative . Comment: Conservatives fared well in the race .