diff --git a/MySQLdb/connections.py b/MySQLdb/connections.py
index 908706a3..13e55c4a 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/connections.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/connections.py
@@ -33,7 +33,11 @@ def defaulterrorhandler(connection, cursor, errorclass, errorvalue):
         connection.messages.append(error)
     del cursor
     del connection
-    raise errorclass, errorvalue
+    if errorclass is not None:    
+        raise errorclass(errorvalue)
+    else:
+        raise Exception(errorvalue)
+
 
 re_numeric_part = re.compile(r"^(\d+)")
 
diff --git a/MySQLdb/cursors.py b/MySQLdb/cursors.py
index 348a586a..b45ddaf9 100644
--- a/MySQLdb/cursors.py
+++ b/MySQLdb/cursors.py
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ def execute(self, query, args=None):
         try:
             r = None
             r = self._query(query)
-        except TypeError, m:
+        except TypeError as m:
             if m.args[0] in ("not enough arguments for format string",
                              "not all arguments converted"):
                 self.messages.append((ProgrammingError, m.args[0]))
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ def executemany(self, query, args):
                                        for key, item in a.iteritems()))
                 else:
                     q.append(qv % tuple([db.literal(item) for item in a]))
-        except TypeError, msg:
+        except TypeError as msg:
             if msg.args[0] in ("not enough arguments for format string",
                                "not all arguments converted"):
                 self.errorhandler(self, ProgrammingError, msg.args[0])
diff --git a/setup_common.py b/setup_common.py
index 03c39bb7..4f72cda3 100644
--- a/setup_common.py
+++ b/setup_common.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
 try:
     # Python 2.x
     from ConfigParser import SafeConfigParser
diff --git a/setup_posix.py b/setup_posix.py
index cfcf33ca..9f3d9e64 100644
--- a/setup_posix.py
+++ b/setup_posix.py
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
-import os, sys
-from ConfigParser import SafeConfigParser
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+
+import os
+import sys
+from setup_common import SafeConfigParser
 
 # This dequote() business is required for some older versions
 # of mysql_config
diff --git a/tests/test_MySQLdb_capabilities.py b/tests/test_MySQLdb_capabilities.py
index ead69822..c45353fd 100644
--- a/tests/test_MySQLdb_capabilities.py
+++ b/tests/test_MySQLdb_capabilities.py
@@ -76,8 +76,8 @@ def test_bug_2671682(self):
         from MySQLdb.constants import ER
         try:
             self.cursor.execute("describe some_non_existent_table");
-        except self.connection.ProgrammingError, msg:
-            self.assertEquals(msg[0], ER.NO_SUCH_TABLE)
+        except self.connection.ProgrammingError as msg:
+            self.assertTrue(str(ER.NO_SUCH_TABLE) in str(msg))
 
     def test_bug_3514287(self):
         c = self.cursor