1 files changed, 3 insertions, 1 deletions
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 15ba65f6..de254361 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import sys
 import os
 import textwrap
+import codecs
 
 # Allow to run setup.py from another directory.
 os.chdir(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
@@ -81,7 +82,8 @@ class test(_test):
                 f.write(ep_content)
 
 
-readme_file = open('README.txt')
+readme_file = codecs.open('README.txt', encoding='utf-8')
+
 # the release script adds hyperlinks to issues
 if os.path.exists('CHANGES (links).txt'):
     changes_file = open('CHANGES (links).txt')