Some members of the assembly walked out and were replaced by more Islamists, tilting the balance even farther in Morsy's favor and fueling accusations of a power grab.

The document that voters will consider has itself become a source of significant controversy.

Prime Minister Hesham Kandil insisted Monday that opposition views -- including that there would be protections for women and to prevent Egypt from becoming a theocracy -- were taken into consideration when the final draft was pushed through Friday.

"It is impossible to have a perfect text that everybody agreed to," the prime minister said. "... I think there is a majority consensus to move forward with the referendum. In two weeks, we'll find out what Egyptians think of this constitution."

Egypt effectively has been without a constitution since the early 2011 popular uprising that led to Mubarak's ouster.