Her activities with the organization forced her to flee Belo Horizonte. She became more militant over the next decade, and was eventually arrested and tortured for 22 days with punching and ferule, and was reportedly electrocuted multiple times, including with “car wiring”. She was elected to the position of Minister of Mines and Energy in 2003 and served in that capacity until 2005. She then became the 40th Chief of Staff of Brazil and remained in office until 2010. She was elected the 36th President of Brazil in 2011.