Abadi has faced internal pressures from the State of Law Coalition and the Union of Sunni forces in addition to Kurdish parties to postpone the elections for at least six months, Al Hayat, the pan-Arab newspaper reported.

But in his weekly press conference, the prime minister dismissed any doubts, saying, “The cabinet today reiterated that provincial and parliamentary elections will be held on 12 May 2018.,” Al Abadi said. “There is no reason for delaying the elections.”

According to The Nation the prime minister confirmed that the high electoral commission has confirmed that it is ready to organize both the local and national elections on the same day.

Iraq's Sunni political parties claim that displaced people should have the chance to return to their homes before the elections so they are given the chance to vote in the areas where they are registered.

Iraq's humanitarian crisis remain one of the largest and most volatile in the world as more than three million people are internally displaced as a result of Iraq's battle against IS.

"A key post-liberation objective for the government is to bring Iraqis together through meaningful and inclusive community-based reconciliation," Abadi said. "We will restore peace and stability to all of Iraq and support the safe return of displaced people to their homes."

"Post- victory re-construction is under way [in the country], we have chaired several meetings on this and I am monitoring progress very closely especially in the housing and energy sectors. We are determined to provide improved public services to all Iraqis," he said.

Reporter’s code: 50101