package python-apt 1.4.0~beta2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1

[Rex L]

Error dialog appeared some time after first login post upgrade from 16.10 to 17.04.

Trying to resolve issues with clamav-daemon systemd service and virtualbox at the time - not sure where this error triggered.

Was having issues with python 3.6 beta - uninstalled due to 17.04 upgrade failure.

ProblemType: Package
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 17.04
Package: python-apt 1.4.0~beta2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.10.0-19.21-generic 4.10.8
Uname: Linux 4.10.0-19-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.4-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
Date: Sun Apr 16 18:46:13 2017
ErrorMessage: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
InstallationDate: Installed on 2016-05-03 (348 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160420.1)
RelatedPackageVersions:
 dpkg 1.18.10ubuntu2
 apt 1.4
SourcePackage: python-apt
Title: package python-apt 1.4.0~beta2 failed to install/upgrade: subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 1
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Julian Andres Klode (juliank)]

I'm not sure what's going on here. But it seems to be a Python issue. Did you perhaps mess up your system somehow and switched /usr/bin/python to python 3, when pyclean expects python 2. That's what the error messages indicate.

[Matthias Klose (doko)]

invalid. the user changed /usr/bin/python to point to python3