In the 2008 parliamentary elections, Romania for the first time used a variant of the majoritarian system to translate votes into seats. Despite hopes that the new electoral system will facilitate significant elite changes and correct for the shortcomings of the previously-used proportional representation, the majoritarian system („uninominal”, as it is called in Romania) proved to have more disadvantages than advantages. This article discusses the changes brought about by the new electoral system, the election results for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and the formation of the new coalition cabinet.