diff --git a/devel/newt/Makefile b/devel/newt/Makefile
index 596020b9cd44..2c483b11e33a 100644
--- a/devel/newt/Makefile
+++ b/devel/newt/Makefile
@@ -1,77 +1,73 @@
 PORTNAME=	newt
 PORTVERSION=	0.52.21
 CATEGORIES=	devel
 MASTER_SITES=	https://releases.pagure.org/newt/
 
 MAINTAINER=	ports@FreeBSD.org
 COMMENT=	Not Eriks Windowing Toolkit: console I/O handling library
 
 LICENSE=	GPLv2
 LICENSE_FILE=	${WRKSRC}/COPYING
 
 LIB_DEPENDS=	libpopt.so:devel/popt \
 		libslang.so:devel/libslang2
 
 USES=		autoreconf gmake localbase ncurses pathfix
 USE_LDCONFIG=	yes
 GNU_CONFIGURE=	yes
 MAKE_ENV=	PCFLAGS="${CFLAGS}"
 MAKE_JOBS_UNSAFE=	yes
 
 CPPFLAGS+=	-I${LOCALBASE}/include
 LDFLAGS+=	-L${LOCALBASE}/lib -lncurses
 
 BINARY_ALIAS=	python3=${PYTHON_VERSION}
 SUB_FILES=	pkgIndex.tcl
 SUB_LIST=	VERSION="${PORTVERSION}"
 
 PLIST_SUB=	SOVERSION="${SOVERSION}" \
 		VERSION="${PORTVERSION}"
 
 OPTIONS_DEFINE=		NLS PYTHON TCL
 OPTIONS_DEFAULT=	PYTHON
 OPTIONS_SUB=		yes
 
 NLS_USES=		gettext
 NLS_CONFIGURE_ENABLE=	nls
 PYTHON_USES=		python
-PYTHON_CONFIGURE_WITH=	python
+PYTHON_CONFIGURE_WITH=	python=${PYTHON_VERSION}
 TCL_USES=		tcl
 TCL_CONFIGURE_WITH=	tcl
 TCL_CONFIGURE_ENV=	ac_cv_c_tclconfig=${TCL_LIBDIR:Q}
 TCL_CPPFLAGS=		-I${TCL_INCLUDEDIR:Q}
 
 SOVERSION=	${PORTVERSION:R:E}
 
 post-patch:
 	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e 's|-DUSE_INTERP_RESULT||' ${WRKSRC}/configure.ac
 	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e \
 		's|@CPP@|@CC@ -E| ; \
 		 s|-D_GNU_SOURCE|| ; \
 		 s| -g | |g ; \
 		 /make -C/s|^|#| ; \
 		 /whiptcl.$$(SOEXT)/s|install|${TRUE}|' ${WRKSRC}/Makefile.in
 
-post-patch-PYTHON-on:
-	@${REINPLACE_CMD} -e \
-		'/PYTHONVERS/s|=.*|=${PYTHON_VERSION}|' ${WRKSRC}/configure.ac
-
 post-install:
 	@${STRIP_CMD} ${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/bin/whiptail
 	@${STRIP_CMD} ${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/lib/libnewt.so
 
 post-install-NLS-on:
 	@(cd ${WRKSRC}/po && ${DO_MAKE_BUILD} ${MAKE_ARGS} \
 		datadir=${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/share ${INSTALL_TARGET})
 
 post-install-PYTHON-on:
 	@${STRIP_CMD} ${STAGEDIR}${PYTHONPREFIX_SITELIBDIR}/_snack.so
 
 post-install-TCL-on:
 	@${MKDIR} ${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/lib/whip${PORTVERSION}
 	(cd ${WRKSRC} && ${INSTALL_LIB} whiptcl.so \
 		${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/lib/whip${PORTVERSION})
 	(cd ${WRKDIR} && ${INSTALL_DATA} pkgIndex.tcl \
 		${STAGEDIR}${PREFIX}/lib/whip${PORTVERSION})
 
 .include <bsd.port.mk>