French voters turned out in large numbers Sunday for the final round of a high-stakes election that is expected to leave the far right as the biggest force in a deeply divided parliament.

As at 5pm on Sunday, according to interior ministry figures, some 59.71 percent of voters had turned out; the most at this stage of a legislative race since 1981, with three hours of polling to go.

President Emmanuel Macron called the snap elections three years ahead of time after his forces were trounced in June’s European parliament vote, a gamble which seems to have backfired.

However, the mood in France was tense, with 30,000 police deployed to head off trouble and voters anxious about a potential electoral earthquake shifting the political landscape.