Question:

Someone claimed that Imam Al-Kazim (a.) had called for an election of a political leader to rule the nation (Bihar-ul-Anwar, Volume 6, Pages 60-61)

Answer:
The alleged statement is not attributed to the imam (a.):

Abd-ul-Wahid Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abdus An-Naisaburi An-Naisaburi Al-Attar reported to me in Nishapur in the month Sha’ban in 352. He said to me: ,,Abu Al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Qutaibah An-Naisaburi reported to me.” He said: ,,Abu Muhammad Al-Fadl Ibn Shadhan said: ,,Al-Hakim Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn Nu’aim Ibn Shadhan told us that God have mercy on him, of his uncle Abu Abdillah Muhammad Ibn Shadhan.” He said: ,,Al-Fadl Ibn Shadhan An-Naisaburi said: ,,When a questioner asks a question and says: ,,Tell me if it is permissible for a wise man to assign his servant a work among the works without a reason and meaning?” So one speaks to him: ,,This is not allowed, for he is a wise man who neither plays games nor is an ignorant man.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, volume 6 page 58]

حدثني عبد الواحد بن محمد بن عبدوس النيسابوري العطار بنيسابور في شعبان سنة اثنتين وخمسين وثلاث مائة قال حدثني أبو الحسن علي بن محمد بن قتيبة النيسابوري قال قال أبو محمد الفضل بن شاذان وحدثنا الحاكم أبو جعفر محمد بن نعيم بن شاذان رحمه الله عن عمه أبي عبد الله محمد بن شاذان قال قال الفضل بن شاذان النيسابوري: إن سأل سائل فقال أخبرني هل يجوز أن يكلف الحكيم عبده فعلا من الافاعيل لغير علة ولا معنى؟ قيل له: لا يجوز ذلك لانه حكيم غير عابث ولا جاهل

,,We find no group from the groups and no religious community from the religious communities, which remained and lived except with a trustee and a leader, as he is essential to them in the affairs of religion and this world, and it is not permissible by the wisdom of the wise that He should leave the creation, knowing that He is essential to them, and that they have no stability except through Him. Through him they fight their enemy and through him they divide their multitude and he leads them their Friday prayer and their congregation and forbids their oppressors to oppress them and this includes, that had he not been appointed to them as Imam and Trustee and Preserver and Transmitter, the religious community would be destroyed and the religion would have disappeared, the Sunnah and judgments would have been changed, the innovators in it would have been added and the absurd thinkers would have been removed, and they would have brought this to Muslims as a doubt, because we found creation to be deficient and needy.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, volume 6 page 60]

لا نجد فرقة من الفرق ولا ملة من الملل بقوا وعاشوا إلا بقيم ورئيس لما لا بد لهم منه في أمر الدين والدنيا، فلم يجز في حكمة الحكيم أن يترك الخلق مما يعلم أنه لا بد لهم منه ولا قوام لهم إلا به، فيقاتلون به عدوهم، ويقسمون به فيئهم، ويقيم لهم جمعتهم وجماعتهم ويمنع ظالمهم من مظلومهم ومنها أنه لو لم يجعل لهم إماما قيما أمينا حافظا مستودعا لدرست الملة وذهب الدين وغيرت السنة والاحكام ولزاد فيه المبتدعون ونقص منه الملحدون ، وشبهوا ذلك على المسلمين لانا قد وجدنا الخلق منقوصين محتاجين

Comment:

The text speaks about the appointed Imam (a.) and not election.