diff --git a/python/libxml.c b/python/libxml.c
index 8c66fed6..8bb3db27 100644
--- a/python/libxml.c
+++ b/python/libxml.c
@@ -2329,6 +2329,32 @@ libxml_xmlRegisterXPathFunction(ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED PyObject * self,
     return (py_retval);
 }
 
+PyObject *
+libxml_xmlXPathRegisterVariable(ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED PyObject * self,
+                                PyObject * args)
+{
+    PyObject *py_retval;
+    int c_retval = 0;
+    xmlChar *name;
+    xmlChar *ns_uri;
+    xmlXPathContextPtr ctx;
+    xmlXPathObjectPtr val;
+    PyObject *pyobj_ctx;
+    PyObject *pyobj_value;
+
+    if (!PyArg_ParseTuple
+        (args, (char *) "OszO:xpathRegisterVariable", &pyobj_ctx, &name,
+         &ns_uri, &pyobj_value))
+        return (NULL);
+
+    ctx = (xmlXPathContextPtr) PyxmlXPathContext_Get(pyobj_ctx);
+    val = libxml_xmlXPathObjectPtrConvert(pyobj_value);
+
+    c_retval = xmlXPathRegisterVariableNS(ctx, name, ns_uri, val);
+    py_retval = libxml_intWrap(c_retval);
+    return (py_retval);
+}
+
 /************************************************************************
  *									*
  *			Global properties access			*
diff --git a/python/libxml2-python-api.xml b/python/libxml2-python-api.xml
index 42f661d5..032b44ba 100644
--- a/python/libxml2-python-api.xml
+++ b/python/libxml2-python-api.xml
@@ -10,6 +10,15 @@
       <arg name='ns_uri' type='xmlChar *' info='the namespace or NULL'/>
       <arg name='f' type='pythonObject' info='the python function'/>
     </function>
+    <function name='xmlXPathRegisterVariable' file='python'>
+      <cond>defined(LIBXML_XPATH_ENABLED)</cond>
+      <info>Register a variable with the XPath context</info>
+      <return type='int' info="1 in case of success, 0 or -1 in case of error"/>
+      <arg name='ctx' type='xmlXPathContextPtr' info='the xpathContext'/>
+      <arg name='name' type='xmlChar *' info='the variable name'/>
+      <arg name='ns_uri' type='xmlChar *' info='the namespace or NULL'/>
+      <arg name='value' type='pythonObject' info='the value'/>
+    </function>
     <function name='xmlNewNode' file='python'>
       <info>Create a new Node</info>
       <return type='xmlNodePtr' info="A new element node"/>
diff --git a/python/types.c b/python/types.c
index 54b50de2..2c9ab228 100644
--- a/python/types.c
+++ b/python/types.c
@@ -622,7 +622,6 @@ libxml_xmlXPathObjectPtrConvert(PyObject * obj)
         printf("Unable to convert Python Object to XPath");
 #endif
     }
-    Py_DECREF(obj);
     return (ret);
 }