The party competition surrounding the management of COVID-19 in Tanzania before the 2020 presidential election was essentially a contest between political and expert authority.President Magufuli and the ruling party,Chama cha Mapinduzi（CCM）,employed rhetorical strategies to emphasize religious beliefs and alternative therapies over expert advice,and used executive power to systematically suppress expert authority.This resulted in the successful implementation of an epidemic prevention policy that prioritized economic performance and guaranteed the basic livelihood of the population during the epidemic.Consequently,a majority of voters supported Magufuli’s re-election.The death of President Magufuli in 2021 and the subsequent controversy surrounding the cause of his death weakened the direct persuasive effect of the party’s rhetoric.However,the indirect persuasive path based on governance performance was more influential,as the majority of the population continued to support the CCM regime and its epidemic management policy despite the rhetorical controversy.The concepts of authority competition and rhetorical capacity contribute to the understanding of public health governance and party politics processes in developing countries.