With more than 98 percent of ballots counted, Romania's far-right candidate George Simion, a fan of US President Donald Trump was leading with about 40 percent of the vote in Sunday's first round of presidential elections. In the May 18 run-off, Simion will face off against pro-EU Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan, who surged to second place at 20,7 percent, narrowly beating governing coalition candidate Crin Antonescu. "I would like to ask them [polling representatives] to ensure a fair count from this moment on, because it is about the trust of Romanians and our partners in democracy in Romania and, in my opinion, it is a new beginning that we all have the responsibility to do in a fair way," says Dan while speaking to the media. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES