Caracas, Venezuela ? Tens of thousands of supporters of President Hugo Chavez on Saturday marched through Caracas to show faith in their leader despite an economic recession and revived opposition attempts to oust him.

Chavez , a former army paratrooper, organized the march to protest a Supreme Court ruling to absolve four military officers accused of leading an April 12-14 coup.

A supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez carries a portrait of Venezuelan liberator Simon Bolivar in a pro-Chavez march. Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday through Caracas in support of their besieged leader.

Chavez supporters believed the ruling tried to justify a coup that ousted the president for two days and saw the dissolution of the constitution and democratic institutions.

“The justices don’t respect democracy,” said Omar Martinez, 62. “The ruling was totally wrong.”

Waving Venezuelans flags and carrying portraits of Chavez, more than 100,000 people marched from an eastern Caracas plaza across town to Congress.

Chavez was democratically elected in 1998 after spending two years in jail for leading a failed coup.

In April, rebel generals ousted and arrested him one day after 19 people died during an opposition march. He regained power after loyalist troops and thousands of civilians rallied to his defense.

One marcher shouted the names of the 11 justices who voted to absolve two army generals, a navy rear admiral and a navy vice admiral. The crowd cried “out!” after each name. Eight justices voted to indict the officers.

Congress, where Chavez supporters maintain a slim majority, has appointed a commission to investigate the performance of each Supreme Court justice. Government allies threatened to remove justices accused of lying about their credentials to obtain their posts.

Opposition lawmakers refused to join the panel, calling it an affront to the democratic balance of power. Also, the ruling has lifted opposition hopes that the Supreme Court will indict Chavez in several pending cases.

Those include misusing public funds, accepting illegal campaign donations and moral responsibility in the April 11 slayings. Chavez denies any wrongdoing.

Opposition leaders are seeking ways to oust Chavez before his term ends in 2007. They complain he has fueled social class tensions with fierce rhetoric against Venezuela’s “oligarchy.”