The merger proposal was made by the two regional authorities - the Chita Region and the Aginsk-Buryat Autonomous Area. The unification, one of a series of similar moves in Russia recently, is expected to provide an economic boost to the region and raise local living standards.
"Unification was supported by 90% of voters in the Chita Region and 94% in the Aginsk-Buryat Autonomous Area," said Alexander Veshnyakov, head of the central election commission.
The turnout was 80% in the Chita Region and 90% in the Aginsk-Buryat Autonomous Area, which is located in the center of the Chita Region.
"As a result, we consider the referendum valid, and the two constituent members will consequently merge into the Trans-Baikal Territory," the official said.
The new subject of the Russian Federation could be formed by March 1, 2008 and elections to the local legislature could be held in October 2008.
Russian President Vladimir Putin supported the merger as part of the Kremlin's ongoing campaign to simplify the administrative-territorial division of the country, and to further tighten federal control over budget spending and efficient governance in the regions.
According to Russia's Finance Ministry, only 18 of 88 administrative subjects of the Russian Federation are capable of raising sufficient budget revenues without federal assistance.
Some experts believe Moscow is seeking to eliminate autonomous areas altogether, making them part of larger regional groupings.
The first move in that direction was the merger of the Komi-Perm Autonomous Area with the Perm Region to form the Perm Territory. In addition, the Taimyr (Dolgano-Nenets) and Evenkiya autonomous areas were incorporated into the Krasnoyarsk Territory as of January 1, 2007.
