Why was Gaius Marius elected consul for a seventh time in 86 BCE?

Gaius Marius was elected consul for a seventh time in 86 BCE after returning from exile to capture Rome alongside the consul Lucius Cornelius Cinna.1

Following his exile in 88 BCE—which occurred after Sulla marched his army on Rome to rescind measures that would have transferred the Asian command to Marius—Marius eventually escaped to Africa. In 87 BCE, while Sulla was campaigning in Greece, political disorder in Rome led to the dismissal of Cinna. Marius took advantage of this instability by landing in Etruria, raising an army, and joining forces with Cinna to seize control of the city. Their joint election to the consulship for 86 BCE was a direct result of this successful military takeover.1