diff --git a/src/Makefile b/src/Makefile
index 3d1085e0be5c0a5bda16580dc60a0a6ce5474f8c..7dfc2c312aafe24337c7645e9e399eed2d05f0c9 100644
--- a/src/Makefile
+++ b/src/Makefile
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ mpi-stubs:
 	@cd STUBS; $(MAKE) clean; $(MAKE)
 
 # install LAMMPS shared lib and Python wrapper for Python usage
-# include python package settings to 
+# include python package settings to
 #   automatically adapt name of python interpreter
 
 sinclude ../lib/python/Makefile.lammps
@@ -343,10 +343,10 @@ no-%:
 lib-%:
 	@if [ -e ../lib/$(LIBDIR)/Install.py ]; then \
 	  echo "Installing lib $(@:lib-%=%)"; \
-	  cd ../lib/$(LIBDIR); python Install.py $(args); \
+	  cd ../lib/$(LIBDIR); $(PYTHON) Install.py $(args); \
 	elif [ -e ../lib/$(LIBUSERDIR)/Install.py ]; then \
 	  echo "Installing lib $(@:lib-user-%=%)"; \
-	  cd ../lib/$(LIBUSERDIR); python Install.py $(args); \
+	  cd ../lib/$(LIBUSERDIR); $(PYTHON) Install.py $(args); \
 	else \
 	  echo "Install script for lib $(@:lib-%=%) does not exist"; \
 	fi;