diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 707d17b77..115899dba 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ if (OPM_ENABLE_PYTHON)
                      python/cxx/table_manager.cpp
                      python/cxx/well.cpp
                      COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_directory ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/python/ ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/python
-                     COMMAND python ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/python/setup.py
+                     COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/python/setup.py
                                                       build
                                                       build_ext
                                                       --build-lib=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/python/python/opm
@@ -268,11 +268,11 @@ if (OPM_ENABLE_PYTHON)
   add_dependencies(opmcommon_python opmcommon)
 
   install( CODE "execute_process(COMMAND mkdir -p ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${PYTHON_INSTALL_PREFIX}  )" )
-  install( CODE "execute_process(COMMAND python python/setup.py build_ext --dry-run install --prefix=${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}  )" )
+  install( CODE "execute_process(COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} python/setup.py build_ext --dry-run install --prefix=${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}  )" )
 
   add_test(NAME python_tests
             WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/python
-            COMMAND python setup.py build_ext --dry-run --build-lib ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/python/python/opm test
+            COMMAND ${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE} setup.py build_ext --dry-run --build-lib ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/python/python/opm test
            )
 
   set_target_properties(opmcommon PROPERTIES POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE ON)
diff --git a/python/setup-build.sh.in b/python/setup-build.sh.in
index d52a7cac0..7d9396a3f 100644
--- a/python/setup-build.sh.in
+++ b/python/setup-build.sh.in
@@ -14,6 +14,6 @@ rm -f python/opm/libopmcommon_python.so
 
 export CC=@CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER@
 
-python setup.py build build_ext --build-lib=python/opm \
+@PYTHON_EXECUTABLE@ setup.py build build_ext --build-lib=python/opm \
 --library-dirs=@_setup_lib_dirs@ \
 --include-dirs=@_setup_include_dirs@
diff --git a/python/setup-test.sh.in b/python/setup-test.sh.in
index 265c78d17..eb237123e 100644
--- a/python/setup-test.sh.in
+++ b/python/setup-test.sh.in
@@ -14,4 +14,4 @@ export PYTHONPPATH=@PROJECT_BINARY_DIR@/python/python:$PYTHONPATH
 export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=@PROJECT_BINARY_DIR@/lib:@_setup_lib_dirs@:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
 
 
-python setup.py build_ext --dry-run --build-lib=python/opm test
+@PYTHON_EXECUTABLE@ setup.py build_ext --dry-run --build-lib=python/opm test