diff --git a/hpx.spec b/hpx.spec
index c937a5e..be70241 100644
--- a/hpx.spec
+++ b/hpx.spec
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 Name:           hpx
 Version:        1.2.0
-Release:        3%{?dist}
+Release:        4%{?dist}
 Summary:        General Purpose C++ Runtime System
 License:        Boost
 URL:            http://stellar.cct.lsu.edu/tag/hpx/
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ for mpi in openmpi mpich '' ; do
   test -n "${mpi}" && module load mpi/${mpi}-%{_arch} && mkdir -p %{buildroot}/${MPI_BIN}
   pushd ${mpi:-serial}
   %make_install
-  sed -i '1s@env python@python2@' %{buildroot}/%{_bindir}/{hpx*.py,hpxcxx}  %{buildroot}${MPI_LIB:-%{_libdir}}/cmake/HPX/templates/hpx{cxx,run.py}.in
+  sed -i '1s@env python@python3@' %{buildroot}/%{_bindir}/{hpx*.py,hpxcxx}  %{buildroot}${MPI_LIB:-%{_libdir}}/cmake/HPX/templates/hpx{cxx,run.py}.in
   chmod +x  %{buildroot}${MPI_LIB:-%{_libdir}}/cmake/HPX/templates/hpx{cxx,run.py}.in
   popd
   pushd %{buildroot}/%{_bindir}
@@ -243,6 +243,9 @@ done
 %{_libdir}/lib*.so*
 
 %changelog
+* Thu Nov 22 2018 Christoph Junghans <junghans@votca.org> - 1.2.0-4
+- use python3 for scripts
+
 * Fri Nov 16 2018 Christoph Junghans <junghans@votca.org> - 1.2.0-3
 - Disable parallel build for aarch64