The rocky road to the referendum began when judges threatened to shut down the assembly tasked with drafting the constitution. Morsy then issued an edict in late November declaring all of his past and present decisions immune from judicial review until the holding of the constitutional referendum.
He also sacked the head of the judiciary, which had many members who were still loyal to Mubarak.
Protesters took to the streets, saying the decision is dictatorial.
Morsy dropped his decree, but the situation remained tense. Violence raged, producing incidents that have raised the ire of international human rights groups, though these have not been systematic, as was the case under the former government.
The outcome of the election is important to the stability of volatile North Africa and the Middle East -- where Egypt is a key player.
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