1 Dilma Rousseff emerged from obscurity to become one of Brazil’s most powerful women
The business management graduate from Rio de Janeiro took her first steps into politics when she was elected as a socialist member of the Chamber of Deputies in 2004.
During her time in parliament she was known for her fiery speeches, and her position on Latin America’s largest economy soon won her the nickname “Madame Orange”.
2 She was sworn in as Brazil’s first female president in 2009
2 Almost two years into her new job, Dilma’s popularity began to plummet over a series of economic crises, the Panama Papers leaks and a corruption scandal in the oil industry
3 She is reported to have had 50 affairs during her two-term presidency
Brazilians were furious when Dilma confessed to having more than 50 affairs while she was in office – and many consider it is because of her affair with military intelligence chief Nelson Coelho.
4 The corruption scandal cost Brazil’s Congress millions of pounds in damage
A massive probe, Operation Car Wash, discovered that politicians and businesspeople allegedly received bribes over a 15-year period to gain favours from the then Brazilian president, who resigned in 2016 after nearly two years in office.
5 Dilma was the first president to be impeached after losing her majority in congress
On 18 May 2016, after losing her majority, Dilma was impeached and put on trial for breaking the constitution by failing to control the cost of public spending.
Although convicted on 20 August 2016 of breaking the constitution, she was able to remain in office while her impeachment was being finalised.
6 Brazilians voted in an impeachment referendum in July 2017
A month later, the lower house of the Brazilian congress approved the agreement she had made with senators to finally start the impeachment process – she was finally ruled out of office on 11 October.
7 Barack Obama was the only US President to have met her before she was impeached
The last sitting US President to have met the ousted president was Barack Obama, who had been invited to make an appearance at a World Economic Forum meeting in Brazil in May 2013.
8 She took a break from politics in the midst of her impeachment