This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto delivered his final state of the union address Monday, conceding that he had not achieved his goal of bringing “peace” to the violence-racked nation.

“We did not realize the objective of recovering peace and security for Mexicans in all corners of the country,” Peña Nieto told lawmakers, ministers and others gathered in downtown Mexico City at the ceremonial National Palace.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on November 11, 2017. (Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)
Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto speaks during a press conference on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on November 11, 2017. (Credit: ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images)

Public opinion surveys have shown that rising crime is a near-ubiquitous concern among Mexicans, and contributed to Peña Nieto’s dismal approval ratings and the overwhelming defeat of his party in elections on July 1. The vote was widely seen here as a referendum on his administration, which has also struggled to deliver economic growth and combat corruption.

Peña Nieto, a telegenic former governor of Mexico state, took office in 2012 vowing to “bring peace to Mexico.” He is leaving office with crime on the rise and a broad perception that his administration was a failure.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.