unable to set initial-branch

[simkimsia]

git_repo = git.Repo.init(path_to_folder_with_no_working_tree, initial_branch="main")

gives me

git.exc.GitCommandError: Cmd('git') failed due to: exit code(129)
  cmdline: git init --initial-branch=main
  stderr: 'error: unknown option `initial-branch=main'
usage: git init [-q | --quiet] [--bare] [--template=<template-directory>] [--shared[=<permissions>]] [<directory>]

Workaround

I have to resort to this

init_git(path_to_folder_with_no_working_tree)

def execute(*args, supress_exception=False, cwd=None):
    cur_dir = os.getcwd()

    try:
        if cwd:
            os.chdir(cwd)

        proc = subprocess.Popen(args, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)

        out, err = proc.communicate()
        out = out.decode("utf-8")
        err = err.decode("utf-8")
        if err and not supress_exception:
            raise Exception(err)
        else:
            return out
    finally:
        os.chdir(cur_dir)


def init_git(project_directory):
    # workaround for issue #1
    if not os.path.exists(os.path.join(project_directory, ".git")):
        execute(
            "git",
            "config",
            "--global",
            "init.defaultBranch",
            "main",
            cwd=project_directory,
        )
        execute("git", "init", cwd=project_directory)

Is there a better way to do the same thing?