package python 2.7.11-1 failed to install/upgrade: pre-dependency problem - not installing python

[Vladimir Klimov]

I tried to upgrade ubuntu and cath whis bug

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: python 2.7.11-1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.13.0-37.42~16.04.1-generic 4.13.13
Uname: Linux 4.13.0-37-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Jul 12 01:04:31 2019
ErrorMessage: pre-dependency problem - not installing python
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-08-27 (683 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20170801)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.4ubuntu1.5
 apt 1.2.32
SourcePackage: python-defaults
Title: package python 2.7.11-1 failed to install/upgrade: pre-dependency problem - not installing python
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to xenial on 2019-07-11 (0 days ago)

[Chris Guiver (guiverc)]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Unfortunately, we cannot currently work on this bug currently because your description didn't include enough information. You may find it helpful to read "How to report bugs effectively" http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/bugs.html. We'd be grateful if you would then provide a more complete description of the problem.

We have instructions on debugging some types of problems at http://wiki.ubuntu.com/DebuggingProcedures.

At a minimum, we need:
1. The specific steps or actions you took that caused you to encounter the problem.
2. The behavior you expected.
3. The behavior you actually encountered (in as much detail as possible).

Please also provide the output for the following commands

"apt-cache policy python python3 libpython2.7-minimal; python --version; python3 --version"

You are running a EOL & unsupported kernel (17.10/4.13) and I see many packages not intended for Xenial (16.04). I suspect it's not a bug, but a 'frakensystem' that has packages intended for other releases (17.10 & 18.04) added which I believe have created your issue. More description of what you were trying to do, behavior expected may have helped.
Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better.

[Matthias Klose (doko)]

you have a locally installed python:

Setting up python-minimal (2.7.15~rc1-1) ...
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/runpy.py", line 174, in _run_module_as_main
    "__main__", fname, loader, pkg_name)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/runpy.py", line 72, in _run_code
    exec code in run_globals
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/compileall.py", line 16, in <module>
    import struct
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/struct.py", line 1, in <module>
    from _struct import *
ImportError: No module named _struct
dpkg: error processing package python-minimal (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 python-minimal
dpkg: regarding .../python_2.7.15~rc1-1_amd64.deb containing python, pre-dependency problem:
 python pre-depends on python-minimal (= 2.7.15~rc1-1)
  python-minimal latest configured version is 2.7.11-1.

dpkg: error processing archive /var/cache/apt/archives/python_2.7.15~rc1-1_amd64.deb (--unpack):
 pre-dependency problem - not installing python

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for python-defaults (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]