Sisi, a former army commander, has flexed his country's political and military muscle in his first time, cracking down on opposition figures and demonstrations, while also facilitating great building programs. A few high-profile challengers have either dropped out or been arrested or expelled from the country, leaving only one challenger: Moussa Mustafa Moussa, a last-minute entrant who is not expected to get a significant number of votes.

The Egyptian government deployed tens of thousands of police and troops at polling stations, in an effort to keep the peace.

It is the third election since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. After a brief period of turmoil that many termed part of the Arab Spring series of uprisings in Middle Eastern countries, Egyptians elected Mohammed Morsi as President and also voted in to Parliament a majority of members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Morsi, elected in June 2012, did not serve a full term. He was ousted in a coup led by al-Sisi in 2013. Morsi was arrested and convicted on multiple charges of incitation to violence; he is still in prison.

Sisi, meanwhile, was elected in June 2014, winning more than 96 of the vote; turnout was 46 percent, in an election boycotted by the Muslim Brotherhood and other moderate groups. Sisi had also faced only one challenger in that election.

Sisi's victory is expected despite feelings in many parts of the country that things have gotten worse during his term and since Mubarak's exit. Economic indicators point to an increase in both inflation and the cost of living. Increasing as well, particularly in the past year, have been public instances of deadly violence, despite the passage of a harsh anti-terrorism law in 2016; most well-known of these was an attack at a mosque in late 2017 killed more than 300 people. And the kind of public protest that filled the streets of Cairo's Tahrir Square and Alexandria and other places across the country in 2011 are virtually non-existent now.

The election runs through Wednesday, and results are expected from the National Elections Authority on April 2.