diff --git a/diskimage_builder/elements/package-installs/bin/package-installs-squash b/diskimage_builder/elements/package-installs/bin/package-installs-squash
index 44f26c9b..f5074366 100755
--- a/diskimage_builder/elements/package-installs/bin/package-installs-squash
+++ b/diskimage_builder/elements/package-installs/bin/package-installs-squash
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
 
 # Copyright 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
 #
diff --git a/diskimage_builder/elements/svc-map/extra-data.d/10-merge-svc-map-files b/diskimage_builder/elements/svc-map/extra-data.d/10-merge-svc-map-files
index bf36c8aa..89ff2c3b 100755
--- a/diskimage_builder/elements/svc-map/extra-data.d/10-merge-svc-map-files
+++ b/diskimage_builder/elements/svc-map/extra-data.d/10-merge-svc-map-files
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
 #
 # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may
 # not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain
diff --git a/diskimage_builder/lib/common-functions b/diskimage_builder/lib/common-functions
index c5c314af..e38fc279 100644
--- a/diskimage_builder/lib/common-functions
+++ b/diskimage_builder/lib/common-functions
@@ -241,14 +241,6 @@ function cleanup_image_dir () {
     rm -rf --one-file-system $TMP_IMAGE_DIR
 }
 
-function cleanup_temp_python_exec () {
-    if [ ! -z "$DIB_ORIGINAL_PATH" ]; then
-        export PATH=$DIB_ORIGINAL_PATH
-    fi
-    rm "$DIB_PYTHON_EXEC_TMP/python" || true
-    rmdir "$DIB_PYTHON_EXEC_TMP" || true
-}
-
 # Run a directory of hooks outside the target (that is, no chrooting).
 function run_d() {
     check_element
diff --git a/diskimage_builder/lib/disk-image-create b/diskimage_builder/lib/disk-image-create
index e08497e0..a1333682 100644
--- a/diskimage_builder/lib/disk-image-create
+++ b/diskimage_builder/lib/disk-image-create
@@ -175,14 +175,6 @@ export DIB_DEBUG_TRACE
 export DIB_IMAGE_CACHE=${DIB_IMAGE_CACHE:-~/.cache/image-create}
 mkdir -p $DIB_IMAGE_CACHE
 
-# Setup a symbolic link to the correct python exec so that element
-# scripts running outside the chroot using "#!/usr/bin/env python" get
-# the right python version.
-export DIB_ORIGINAL_PATH=$PATH
-export DIB_PYTHON_EXEC_TMP=$(mktemp -d -t --tmpdir=$HOME .DIB_PYTHON_TMP.XXXXXXXX)
-ln -s "$DIB_PYTHON_EXEC" "$DIB_PYTHON_EXEC_TMP/python"
-export PATH=$DIB_PYTHON_EXEC_TMP:$DIB_ORIGINAL_PATH
-
 # We have a couple of critical sections (touching parts of the host
 # system or download images to common cache) that we use flock around.
 # Use this directory for lockfiles.
@@ -617,7 +609,6 @@ fi
 
 # Remove the leftovers, i.e. the temporary image directory.
 cleanup_image_dir
-cleanup_temp_python_exec
 
 # Restore fd 1&2 from the outfilter.py redirect back to the original
 # saved fd.  Note small hack that we can't really wait properly for
diff --git a/diskimage_builder/lib/img-functions b/diskimage_builder/lib/img-functions
index 5ab0212d..fa75d7c9 100644
--- a/diskimage_builder/lib/img-functions
+++ b/diskimage_builder/lib/img-functions
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ function cleanup () {
     dib-block-device umount
     cleanup_build_dir
     cleanup_image_dir
-    cleanup_temp_python_exec
 }
 
 # Helper function to run a command inside the chroot
diff --git a/diskimage_builder/lib/outfilter.py b/diskimage_builder/lib/outfilter.py
index 770742c2..450d7dbc 100644
--- a/diskimage_builder/lib/outfilter.py
+++ b/diskimage_builder/lib/outfilter.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
 #
 # Copyright 2014 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
 #