She was elected Second Vice President on 8 September 2006, replacing Alice Nzomukunda.
She was almost unknown, and the members of the opposition party, Union for National Progress (UPRONA), walked out of the vote in protest over the lack of information provided about her.
Barampama had been a supporter of Hussein Radjabu, the former chairman of the National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD), who was ousted as chairman by the President shortly before Barampama's sacking.
[3] She subsequently switched allegiance to the Union for Peace and Development (UPD), and by 2015 had become General Secretary of the party.
Following the increase in violence seen in the Burundian unrest, and the murder of party spokesperson Patrice Gahungu, Barampama feared for her life as she said that the UPN was seen as a threat to the government.