Three Labor Party members have registered to compete in tomorrow's election of the party's temporary chairman. They are Shimon Peres, Ephraim Sneh and Danny Atar. Former party leader Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has backed out of the race, after receiving assurances that tomorrow's winner - presumed to be Peres - will not hold the position longer than one year. Next year's elections for permanent party leader will thus be sooner than some expected, causing a stir in the party. Ben-Eliezer, Chaim Ramon, Avraham Burg, Ehud Barak, and other possible hopefuls will have to make up their mind as to whether they are running within the next few months... Fierce arguments erupted at Wednesday morning's news conference called by Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, who presented the cost-cutting plan to merge 14 towns and municipal authorities. Several mayors and town leaders showed up uninvited, demanding to be heard and a shouting match broke out, leading to the halting of the news conference. Poraz said that he will consult with the prime minister and other cabinet ministers before the proposals are submitted to the Knesset for debate... MK David Azulai (Shas) has presented Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin with a petition, signed by 50 Knesset representatives, to reopen the debate on the economic reform bill passed three weeks ago. Azulai's request is made in light of recent evidence regarding illegal voting during the bill's passing. Rivlin has not commented on whether the matter will be reopened or not; however, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein has apparently decided to order a police investigation into the Knesset voting affair.