Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-23788748-20140815034107/@comment-4031545-20140820073934

ItachiWasAHero wrote: He became Chunin at 14, It's on his page. Plus Suna doesn't even have a Jonin vote I believe so there election system isn't even the same. If Temari and Kankuro became Jonin then I do not doubt at all, that Gaara became a Jonin too. Chunin's aren't even allowed their own Genin team... think about that.

Where does it actually state that you have to be a Jonin to become Hokage? I don't see that on the Hokage page. It simply says that the new Hokage is usually selected by the previous retiring Hokage, or if the previous Hokage dies or is incapacitated, the Fire Daimyo will elect a Hokage Candidate, upon recommendations from the Kohona council and Fire Daimyo's council, and then must be approved by the Jonin of the village. Nowhere is the rank of the ninja being selected brought into question.

If you can point to a chapter that says otherwise, please do so, but I don't ever remember rank being a requirement for becoming Hokage. A consideration, absolutely, but not set in stone.