The revolutionary Parliament acclaimed Ruggero Settimo as president and the new State of Sicily was established, in which Raeli assumed the position first of Minister of Finance, and then of the Interior and Security.

[3][4][5] His appointments were short-lived however as General Carlo Filangieri entered Palermo on 15 May, the young Sicilian State ceased to exist and king Ferdinand II was restored.

[1] In Malta he was commissioned by the British government to draw up a code of colonial law but in the meantime he established relationships with refugees from Sicily and the rest of Italy.

[9] There he became friends with Nicola Fabrizi and together with him Raeli dealt with all the political and organizational aspects of the Italian patriotic movement in exile, maintaining contacts with the local secret committees of south-eastern Sicily.

[2] Raeli returned to Noto on 13 July 1860 after Garibaldi had successfully led the Expedition of the Thousand in driving King Francis II from most of Sicily.

Raeli was elected to represent Caltagirone and was appointed Minister of Justice in the Lanza government and was a strong supporter of moving the nation’s capital from Florence to Rome, signing the order for the military occupation of the city.